ABSTRACT
Cadmium is readily volatilized at high temperatures, e.g., during welding or smelting, producing a fine dust of cadmium oxide particles with a typical yellow-brownish color. The water solubility of inorganic cadmium compounds varies from the readily soluble acetate, chloride, and sulfate, to the almost insoluble carbonate, oxide, and sulfide. Certain organic cadmium compounds, in which cadmium is bound directly to a carbon atom, can be synthesized. Cadmium is obtained as a by-product principally in the refining of zinc and to a lesser extent during the refining of copper and lead, from sulfide ores. Cadmium deposited directly on the soil can be absorbed by plants and crops, which may eventually result in increased peroral exposure. Mosses can be used as a convenient and readily available material for the assessment of air pollution and deposition of cadmium. The concentration of cadmium in phosphate fertilizers varies greatly, depending on the origin of the raw phosphate.
