Renal dysfunction from cadmium contamination of irrigation water: dose-response analysis in a Chinese population

In a cadmium-contaminated area in China and a nearby non-contaminated area, 342 persons were selected for studies of a possible relationship between cadmium dose (i.e. total cadmium intake) and response in terms of renal dysfunction. An increase in urinary excretion of beta-2-microglobulin (UB2M), adjusted for age and sex, was used as an indicator of the response. A statistically significant relationship was found between measured cadmium concentrations in whole blood (range; < 3.5 to > 15 micrograms/l) and UB2M, and there was a statistically significant linear trend. Also, cadmium in urine (< 4 to > 16 micrograms/g creatinine) and UB2M displayed a statistically significant positive relationship when the total data set was analysed for males and females. The relationship between a dose index (obtained from calculated cumulative absorbed doses over a lifetime) and UB2M was statistically significant. The results of this first study on dose-response relationships in a Chinese population are similar to those observed in other populations.