Cadmium content of indicators and target organs after acute Cd exposure

Eleven groups of Wistar rats were given 5 ppm cadmium acetate in the drinking water at different, interrupted periods of their life, simulating acute exposure. The Cd levels of indicators as hair, blood and teeth, and target organs as soft tissues and bone, were recorded by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. It was concluded that Cd passes the placental and mammary barriers; as regards the distribution of Cd in the tissues, the results confirmed previous findings. The results confirmed that rat molars are the best indicator and the most consistent one for past as well as present exposures in rats, but that hair can also be used to some extent as an indicator. The results further indicated that the administration of Cd alone resulted in a lower Cd residue than when Cd was administered concurrently with Pb.