Abstract
A cross-sectional study of renal damage in workers from a Chinese Ni-Cd battery factory is reported in this paper. The present exposure of surveyed workers to Cd may be likened to that of factories in developed countries prior to the 1950s. The results show urinary cadmium did not increase significantly with the years of exposure in aged workers exposed to cadmium. In these occupationally exposed workers urinary cadmium levels of 3 to 60 μg/g creatinine relate to between 15% and 20% of the workers having B2-MG proteinura, and blood cadmium levels less than 5 μg/l relate to more than 10% of the workers having B2-MG proteinura. The results suggest that a urinary cadmium concentration of 5 μg/g cr or a blood cadmium concentration of 5μg/l would not be a safe level.
