Environmental exposure to cadmium and risk of cancer: a prospective population-based study

BACKGROUND: Cadmium is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, which accumulates in the human body such that 24-h urinary excretion is a biomarker of lifetime exposure. We aimed to assess the association between environmental exposure to cadmium and cancer. METHODS: We recruited a random population sample (n=994) from an area close to three zinc smelters and a reference population from an area with low exposure to cadmium. At baseline (1985-89), we measured cadmium in urine samples obtained over 24 h and in the soil of participants' gardens, and followed the incidence of cancer until June 30, 2004. We used Cox regression to calculate hazard ratios for cancer in relation to internal (ie, urinary) and external (ie, soil) exposure to cadmium, while adjusting for covariables. FINDINGS: Cadmium concentration in soil ranged from 0.8 mg/kg to 17.0 mg/kg. At baseline, geometric mean urinary cadmium excretion was 12.3 nmol/day for people in the high-exposure area, compared with 7.7 nmol/day for those in the reference (ie, low-exposure) area (p