Cadmium, its uses and behaviour, water pollution sources, health effects and pollution control.

2. CADMIUM
Highly toxic
Non-degradable
Persistent

3. HEAVY METALS
Specific density> 5gm/cm3
Major threats to human health
Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic

4. USES
Commercially used in PVC products
Colour pigments
Alloys
Rechargeable nickel cadmium batteries
Anti-corrosion agent

5. BEHAVIOUR OF CADMIUM
Affected by
Hardness
Alkalinity
Oxidation-reduction potential
Type and abundance of organic ligands
and hydroxides

6. TOXICITY
The lower the hardness of water, the lower
the toxicity

7. WATER POLLUTION SOURCES
Mine tailings
Process water from smelting
Phosphate mining
Electroplating wastes
Fertilizers produced from phosphate ores

8. HEALTH EFFECTS
Renal, cardiovascular, respiratory and skeletal

9. HEALTH EFFECTS
Renal tubular dysfunction
Renal lesion
Irreversible impairment of reabsorption
capacity of renal tubules

10. HEALTH EFFECTS
Tubular proteinuria
Increased excretion of low molecular
weight protein such as B2 microglobulin
and alpha-1-microglobulin and
enzymes such as N-acetyl-B-D-
glucosaminidase (NAG)

11. HEALTH EFFECTS
Destroyed arrangement of mineral
metabolism
Nutritional deficiencies

12. HEALTH EFFECTS
Renal damage
Hypercalciuria
Hyperphosphateuria

13. HEALTH EFFECTS
Skeletal damage
Osteomalacia
Osteoporosis
Itai-itai disease

14. HEALTH EFFECTS
Stomach irritation
vomiting and diarrhoea
Probability of low birth weight babies
Suppression of testicular function

15. DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION
Caused by
impure galvanized pipes, cadmium
containing solders in fittings
Water heaters
Water coolers
Pipes

16. POLLUTANT REMOVAL TECHNOLOGIES
Chemical precipitation
Ion exchange
Solvent extraction
Membrane separation
Adsorption

17. ???
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