LOW LEVEL CADMIUM EXPOSURE AND beta //2-MICROGLOBULIN IN CADMIUM WORKERS.

In order to obtain more accurate information on the dose-response relationship between cadmium and its early effects in man, a study was made of cadmium-workers with various exposure levels. In the most highly exposed group, i. e. men who had worked around gas furnaces for making cadmium alloys without effective protection, moderate impairment of renal tubular reabsorption functions together with slight decrease in glomerular filtration rate were observed. In another less exposed cohort it was found that a slight increase in urinary copper concentration was almost the only change associated with cadmium exposure except for definite increases in cadmium levels in blood and urine. This paper reports the results of a recent re-examination of this less exposed group and also the results of air cadmium analysis.