ABSTRACT
The kinetics and metabolism of cadmium include uptake, absorption, transport, distribution within the body, excretion, and accumulation, as well as binding to proteins in tissues and biological fluids. The data have been derived from experimental studies on animals and human beings, and from studies of populations exposed to different levels of cadmium. The fate of the cadmium absorbed into the body is largely determined by the transport and metabolism of the protein. The distribution of cadmium varies depending on length of exposure, route, and dose. The liver and the kidneys have attracted most interest as storage tissue for cadmium. Cadmium accumulates in a number of organs of humans with “normal” exposure via food. The apparent half-time in a tissue as measured from accumulation curves in normally exposed people will be longer than the “true” half-times, because of the influx of cadmium via blood from the other tissues.
