How can cadmium affect children?
The health effects in children are expected to be similar to the effects seen in adults (kidney, lung, and bone damage depending on the route of exposure). A few studies in animals indicate that younger animals absorb more cadmium than adults. Animal studies also indicate that the young are more susceptible than adults to a loss of bone and decreased bone strength from exposure to cadmium. We don’t know if cadmium causes birth defects in people. The babies of animals exposed to high levels of cadmium during pregnancy had changes in behavior and learning ability. There is also some information from animal studies that high enough exposures to cadmium before birth can reduce body weights and affect the skeleton in the developing young.
