ABSTRACT
A kinetic model of cadmium metabolism describes the process of absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion in qualitative and quantitative terms in relation to time. The simplest model of cadmium metabolism, the one-compartment exponential model, is used each time the half-time in an organ is calculated from simple exponential decrease or accumulation curves. The only more elaborate model for cadmium metabolism in animals that has been published includes blood, kidney, liver, spleen, pancreas, testes, gastrointestinal tract, and residual carcass. The age variation of cadmium intake via food was described by a series of linear approximations within age brackets. Cadmium compounds are inhaled as particulate matter, either as fumes with very small particle size or as dust. Fecal cadmium consists mainly of the nonabsorbed part of ingested cadmium. The transfer of cadmium from one compartment to the next is calculated with an iterative procedure, in which all the changes are assumed to take place at one point in time once a day.
