Cadmium content in human kidney and hair in the Gdańsk region

Concentrations of cadmium were determined in the renal cortex and hair of 67 persons who died between 1996 and 1997 in the Gdańsk region of Poland. The mean concentrations in the renal cortex and the hair were: 39.8 +/- 21.45 micrograms/g and 0.35 +/- 0.33 microgram/g, respectively. The mean age of the population studied was 47.6 +/- 15.8 years. The concentration of cadmium in the renal cortex was age-dependent. In the age groups: 18-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60 and 61-90 it amounted to: 19.1 +/- 11.0 micrograms/g, 43.3 +/- 21.6 micrograms/g, 47.9 +/- 20.8 micrograms/g, 41.5 +/- 20.4 micrograms/g and 33.6 +/- 18.0 micrograms/g, respectively. No correlation between the cadmium contents in the renal cortex and hair has been established. Hair is not a good indicator of exposure to cadmium.