Cadmium (Cd) and CompoundsCAS 7440-43-9
Kidney damage, bone demineralization, and lung cancer — accumulates in the kidney with a 30-year half-life.
Toxic Chemical Databases
Substance-specific listings — these flags are for Cadmium alone, not for the broader family.
Chemical Type
Heavy Metal — Group 1 Human Carcinogen
Chemical Description
Cadmium accumulates in the renal cortex over decades — the human biological half-life is roughly 30 years. Once kidney cadmium burden exceeds ~200 µg/g cortex, kidney tubular damage begins; secondary effects include skeletal demineralization (the Japanese itai-itai disease). IARC Group 1 carcinogen for lung cancer. Construction sources include red and yellow cadmium pigments in pre-2000 PVC stabilizer formulations, cadmium plating on hardware, and cadmium-containing solder.
Biological Activity
Severity scores specific to this substance, NOT the parent family average. Differences between siblings are real and meaningful.
Top Health Consequences
- Lung cancer — IARC Group 1
- Renal tubular damage and end-stage kidney disease
- Bone demineralization (osteomalacia, fractures)
- Reproductive endpoints at high body burden
- 30-year human biological half-life
Pathways of Exposure
- Inhalation during cutting or welding cadmium-containing materials
- Diet — accumulation in shellfish, organ meats, and leafy vegetables
- Dust from cadmium-pigmented or cadmium-stabilized plastics
- Smoking (occupational and bystander cadmium source)
Building Materials with Cadmium
Listed alphabetically — product categories where this specific substance appears.
Cadmium-Plated Hardware
Glazed Tile & Ceramic Pigments
Legacy PVC Stabilizer Formulations
Pigmented Powder-Coat Finishes
How We Keep Cadmium (Cd) and Compounds Out of a House
Cadmium (Cd) and Compounds is on our avoid list, which means it is specified out of the project before bidding — not caught on site. Keeping chemistry like this out of the house is the practical difference between a healthy home and an ordinary one.
If you want a house specified this way from the start, or an existing house assessed for what is already in it, that is the work we do. Earth Bound Homes builds in San Jose, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County and across the San Francisco Bay Area.