1/23. Heavy metal poisoning in glass worker characterised by severe. The paper presents the clinical description of the masticatory organ and biochemical assessment of dental tissue in a patient employed in a glassworks for 20 years. During 12 years the patient has suffered baldness ("alopecia areata") and atypical extensive and non-healing cutaneous lesions. Dental examination revealed changes typical of chronic poisoning by cadmium and bismuth compounds. ( info) |
2/23. Lethal manganese-cadmium intoxication. A case report. A case of a lethal manganese-cadmium (Mn-Cd) intoxication is reported. The postmortem examination revealed a noticeable reddish-violet discolouration of the serous cutes of all body cavities, but there was no indication of any corrosive burns of the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract. An Mn concentration of 899 micro g/l blood and a Cd concentration of 238 micro g/l blood were found in the deceased woman. These concentrations are higher than normal levels by a factor of about 100. A subacute or chronic manganese-cadmium absorption must be assumed. ( info) |
3/23. Chronic overexposure to cadmium fumes associated with IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis. BACKGROUND: Cadmium is a metal used in the zinc, copper and steel industries, and in the manufacture of electric batteries and solar cells. Acute cadmium poisoning is characterized by irritation of the respiratory tract, while in chronic poisoning the main target organ is the renal tubule. AIMS: We report a patient with chronic work overexposure to cadmium, who presented a IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis with no respiratory or renal tubule involvement. Case report A 39-year-old patient was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a glomerular nephropathy. For the past 12 years he had worked as a welder, using cadmium electrodes. The patient had no respiratory symptoms and the chest X-ray was normal. Tests showed a proteinuria of 2 g in 24 h with microhaematuria [150 red blood cells/high power field (rbc/hpf)], with preservation of the renal function (creatinine clearance of 137 ml/min). The concentrations of cadmium in blood and urine were 45 micro g/l and 25 micro g/g creatinine, and an environmental study showed that levels of cadmium in the workplace were 52 micro g/m(3). A renal biopsy showed an IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis. The patient ceased to work with cadmium, and 1 year later cadmium levels had decreased and renal function was found to be stable. CONCLUSIONS: IgA mesangial glomerulonephritis is a disease of unknown aetiology which has been associated with other diseases. Chronic overexposure to cadmium may contribute to the development of this nephrophathy. ( info) |
4/23. nephrolithiasis in a worker with cadmium exposure in the past. OBJECTIVES: A clinical case regarding a cadmium-exposed worker is described. CLINICAL CASE: The subject during the work as welder (male, 42-years-old at the time of the first investigation) developed a Fanconi-like syndrome due to high exposure to cadmium fumes. Ten years after exposure removal, the subject showed clinical and laboratory evidence of nephrolithiasis (calcium phosphate stones). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical case confirms the possibility of nephrolithiasis in cadmium-exposed workers and suggests that susceptible subjects may develop kidney stones after lesion of the tubular cells. ( info) |
| Heavy metal inhalation is a rare cause of acute lung injury. Among the various heavy metals, cadmium is more commonly known to cause acute lung injury. A case of accidental inhalation of cadmium fumes in a young male is presented. The incident occurred in local silver jewellery manufacturing unit. ( info) |
| Chronic cadmium poisoning occurs after prolonged exposure to the dust or fumes of cadmium-containing compounds. This paper describes the case of a pigment worker exposed to cadmium carbonate dust who exhibited many of the characteristic features of chronic cadmium poisoning. ( info) |
7/23. Fatal cadmium-fume pneumonitis. A 38-year-old man developed acute respiratory distress several hours after welding cadmium-plated drums without taking precautions against the inhalation of fumes. His respiratory distress worsened over the ensuing three and a half days, and he died. Histological examination of the lungs showed changes of acute cadmium-fume pneumonitis, and chemical analysis of lungs and liver provided confirmatory evidence of considerable absorption of cadmium, of the order previously recorded as causing death. This case is reported so as to renew awareness of this condition, as the cause of the illness was not diagnosed during life. ( info) |
8/23. Acute respiratory fatality associated with exposure to sheet metal and cadmium fumes. The authors report on a case of an acute fatality characterized by abdominal pain and respiratory failure occurring soon after beginning to weld and solder galvanized sheet metal. heating of galvanized sheet metal is a recognized cause of metal fume fever, data from this patient suggests an additional and unrecognized risk for cadmium poisoning. ( info) |
9/23. Abnormalities in pulmonary function after brief exposure to toxic metal fumes. A 26-year-old welder became ill after exposure to zinc and cadmium fumes at work. His initial clinical course was consistent with that of metal fume fever, but persistence of symptoms and signs beyond the usual duration in this condition led to suspicion of a toxic pulmonary reaction to cadmium. The finding of high percentages of both metals in the urine confirmed this diagnosis. Pulmonary function tests showed restriction of lung volumes, with increased elastic recoil and reduced diffusion, but no evidence of airways obstruction. Chest roentgenograms indicated central pulmonary edema, which cleared in 6 days. Follow-up assessment 2 years later showed incomplete improvement of the restrictive ventilatory defect. ( info) |
10/23. Chronic cadmium intoxication caused by a dental prosthesis. We present a case of chronic cadmium intoxication caused by a gold dental prosthesis. The first symptoms of the disease appeared 2 years after insertion and gradually intensified over the next 3 years. Analysis of blood and urine samples, as well as parts of the prosthesis, revealed an excessive concentration of cadmium. The prosthesis was removed and the concentration of cadmium gradually returned to normal, with an amelioration of symptoms. This case illustrates the importance of investigating the possibility of intoxication with a heavy metal when symptoms of chronic illness accompany the presence of a prosthesis. ( info) |