Cadmium and inorganic cadmium compounds
Occupational exposure to cadmium can lead to adverse health effects. Inhalation of cadmium can lead to damage to kidneys and bones, to emphysema and possibly lung cancer. In 2010, the Scientific Committee on Occupational Exposure Limits (SCOEL) proposed a biological limit value of 2 microgram (μg) cadmium per gram creatinine in the urine in combination with a health-based advisory value in air of 4 μg respirable cadmium per cubic metre (m3). In 2017, the SCOEL derived another advisory value for occupational exposure, this time not a biological limit value but only a value in air for inhalable cadmium: 1 μg/m3. The Dutch Expert Committee on Occupational Safety (DECOS) of the Health Council concludes that this new value is insufficiently substantiated, and recommends to maintain the previous advisory values.