Cadmium Concentration in Human Autopsy Tissues

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Toxicology
• Human Physiology

Background:

• Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal with potential health implications.
• Understanding baseline Cd concentrations in human tissues is crucial for assessing exposure and toxicity.
• Previous data on Cd levels in Polish populations may be outdated or incomplete.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the concentration of cadmium in various human tissues from non-poisoned Polish individuals.
• To provide reference values for cadmium levels in a general population.
• To support forensic investigations and environmental exposure assessments.

Main Methods:

• Autopsy samples from 150 Polish individuals (aged 1-80 years) were analyzed between 1990-2010.
• Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was used for tissue digestion and cadmium quantification.
• Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was employed for additional sample analysis (2010-2015).

Main Results:

• Kidney tissues showed the highest mean cadmium concentration (16.0 ± 13.2 μg/g), followed by the liver (1.54 ± 1.55 μg/g).
• Lower concentrations were observed in the stomach, small intestine, heart, lung, and brain.
• Data provides mean, median, and range values for cadmium in wet digested tissue samples.

Conclusions:

• The study establishes reference ranges for cadmium concentrations in key human organs in a Polish population.
• These data are valuable for differentiating normal cadmium levels from those associated with poisoning or high environmental exposure.
• The findings contribute to public health surveillance and toxicological risk assessment.