Eighty 21-day old Wistar male rats were divided into four groups; each group was given drinking water containing 0 (control), 1, 5 or 10ppm of cadmium daily. After four weeks' administration, a torsional strength test of the long bones, a hematological test and a cadmium determination of the tibia, kidney and liver were carried out.
In the 10ppm group, both the femur and the humerus showed a 10 per cent decrease in strength as compared with the control group. Cadmium concentrations determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy were 13.5±2.6μg/g dry weight of the liver, 15.0±2.3μg/g dry weight of the kindney, 146.1±26.3ng/g dry weight of the tibia and 66.2±6.9ng/g dry weight of the diaphysis of the tibia. Anemia, decrease in serum iron and increase in serum phosphrus were also found in the 10ppm group.
In the 5ppm group, the torsional strength of the bones was not statistically different from that of the control group, but there was anemia and decrease in serum iron.
There was no significant difference in the bone strength and the results of the hematological test between the 1ppm group and the control group.
