Influence of Drinking and/or Cooking with Jinzu River Water on the Development of Itai-Itai Disease

Abstract

This study was undertaken to estimate the amount of cadmium (Cd) exposure needed for the development of Itai-itai disease and the influence of using Jinzu River water for drinking and/or cooking on its development. The subjects comprised 38 Itai-itai disease patients admitted both for questionnaire survey and medical testing. The period when the patients started to perceive leg/back pain was defined as 'mild disease onset' and that when they experienced the most severe manifestations such as ambulatory disturbance as 'severe disease onset'. In a comparison of non-users/users of river water, mean age and lifetime Cd intake (LCd) estimated from the daily consumption of rice and other foods at the onset of mild or severe disease showed smaller values in the users than non-users. LCd in non-users/users of river water for drinking and/or cooking were estimated as 3.46-3.60 g/2.58-2.63 g at mild disease onset and 4.24-4.44 g/3.50-3.54 g at severe disease onset. A portion of the differences in LCd in non-users/users is attributable to the influence of Cd consumption from the use of river water, although it was suggested that LCd estimated from eating Cd-polluted rice exerted a greater influence on the development of Itai-itai disease than drinking and/or cooking with Cd-polluted river water.