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REPORT ON WATER AND SOIL SAMPLING -LINE CAMP P1T DRAFT PAGE 7 Food and the smoking of tobacco are common sources of general exposure. This inorganic metal is a contaminant in the metals used to galvanize pipe. It generally gets into water by corrosion of galvanized pipes or by improper waste disposal. This chemical has been shown to damage the kidneys in animals such as rats and mice when the animals are exposed at high levels over their lifetimes. Some industrial workers who were exposed to relatively large amounts of this chemical during working careers also suffered damage to the kidneys. EPA has set the drinking water standard for cadmium at 0.005 part per million (ppm) to protect against the risk of these adverse health effects. Drinking water that meets the EPA standard is associated with little to none of this risk and is considered safe with respect to cadmium. Description: Cadmium (C.A.S. 7440-43-9) is anaturally-occurring element in the earth's crust. Pure cadmium is a soft silver-white metal, but this form is not common in the environment. Cadmium is most often found in combination with other elements, such as oxygen (cadmium oxide), chlorine (cadmium chloride), or sulfur (cadmium sulfide). Most cadmium used in the United States is a soft, bluish metal or grayish powder obtained as a by-product from the treatment of copper, lead and iron ores. Thirty-five percent of cadmium is used for metal plating, 25 percent for nickel-cadmium and other batteries, 20 percent for pigments, 15 percent for plastic stabilizers, and 5 percent for other uses, including pesticides, alloys, and chemical reagents and/or intermediates. Chemical and physical properties: Cadmium and its compounds are stable, with high melting points and low volatility. In water, they range from quite soluble (cadmium chloride) to practically insoluble (cadmium oxide). Cadmium is a flammable powder, and it produces toxic fumes when it burns. '" Summary of EPA Report 820K87106, March 1987, Cadmium Health Advisory (Draft): The drinking water health advisory, office of water, has issued its report on the chemical cadmium (no synonyms). Cadmium is used for a number of purposes including the following: batteries, electroplating, stabilizers, pigments, and as an alloy with other metals. The report covers the following areas: the occurrence of the chemical in the environment, its environmental fate, the chemical's absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion in the human body, and its health effects on humans and animals, including its mutagenicity and carcinogenicity characteristics. Also included are the quantification of its toxicological effects, standards, analytical methods, and environmental treatment technologies.