[Cadmium constant of food and human organs in one large city]

The cadmium contents of commercial foods and of meal samples from a factory canteen were examined over a period of 2 years and of 4 months, respectively. Furthermore, the cadmium contents of human organ samples obtained at necropsy were determined. The samples were subjected to wet digestion and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The value found for the cadmium intake by foods did not differ from international data. On the basis of the average cadmium values from the present investigation and of the per capitum consumption of the GDR population, the authors calculated a weekly cadmium intake from the major foods that amounts to approximately 50% of the WHO/FAO value. The cadmium contents of the human organ samples obtained at necropsy were somewhat lower than those from comparable foreign studies.