Cadmium levels in kidney cortex in Swedish farmers

The cadmium levels in kidney cortex (K-Cd) did not differ statistically bet ween 10 nonsmoking farmers from the south of Sweden, who had a high intake of locally produced food and who were affected by acid precipitation (as in dicated by low pH in the drinking water from their private wells) and 10 fa rmers less affected (medians: K-Cd, 18 vs 14 mu g/g; water pH, 5.2 vs 7.8). Neither did 10 farmers selected because of "high" blood cadmium (E-Cd) dif fer from 10 with "low" [medians: H-Cd, 15 vs 9 mu g/g; B-Cd, 2.6 vs 1.3 nmo l/L (0.29 vs 0.14 mu g/L)]. In all 40 farmers, there was an increase of uri nary cadmium levels (U-Cd) with decreasing drinking water pH (r(s) = -0.32, P = 0.045). Further, K-Cd increased with rising B-Cd (r(s) = 0.33, P = 0.0 37), and both B-Cd (r(s) = 0.73, P = 0.0005), and U-Cd (r(s) = 0.74, P = 0. 0005) rose with increasing age. Further, there was an association between U -Cd and B-Cd (r(s) = 0.68, P = 0.0005). We could not demonstrate with certa inty any effect of the acid precipitation on the cadmium retention in the f armers, although the association between U-Cd and drinking water pH deserve s further study. (C) 2000 Academic Press.