Potential contribution of dietary sources to urinary cadmium and beta 2-microglobulin excretion of occupationally...

To determine the potential contribution dietary cadmium may have toward total urinary excretion of cadmium and beta 2-microglobulin of occupationally exposed workers, 260 residents of the town of Walsall, United Kingdom, who grew a proportion of their vegetable diet in urban garden soils, were studied. Urinary excretions of cadmium were significantly elevated above those reported for the general population (P less than .001). For nonsmoking, nonoccupationally exposed residents, urinary excretion of cadmium was found to be up to 34% of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Biological Exposure Index. In evaluating biological monitoring data of cadmium-exposed workers, the potential significance of dietary intake from urban grown produce should not be overlooked.