Hypertension following Chronic, Very Low Dose Cadmium Feeding

Abstract

Exposing female Long-Evans rats to 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5 ppm of cadmium in drinking water for 6 to 18 months from the time of weaning induced a statistically significant average increase in systolic pressure of 10 to 24 mm Hg, and there was no evidence of cadmium toxicity. Comparable exposure to 0.01 or 0.03 ppm of cadmium was much less effective in raising pressure and probably had no pressor effect. After 18 months of exposure, the average renal cadmium level for the “0.1 ppm cadmium group” approximated 1 μg/g in contrast to more than 40 μg/g for the standard “5 ppm group” and less than 0.1 μg/g for the control group.