This element (atomic number 20) is frequently used as a PVC stabilizer, pigment, neutron absorber in power plants, component of battery manufacturing, and anticorrosive agent. It can lead to a terrible pneumonitis, forms a complex with metallothionein and ultimately ends up filtered by the glomerulus and leads to kidney injury, and has a host of other toxicities (notably skeletal and reproductive). Which element is this?
Cadmium
The toxicity of cadmium and resulting hazards for human health: Available at https://occup-med.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1745-6673-1-22
Contributed by: Joseph Kennedy, UVM Toxicology
Posted in Question Of The Day