Toxicological Profile for Cadmium - Agency for Toxic Substances and ...

CADMIUM

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6. POTENTIAL FOR HUMAN EXPOSURE 6.1

OVERVIEW

Cadmium has been identified in at least 1,014 of the 1,669 hazardous waste sites that have been proposed for inclusion on the EPA National Priorities List (NPL) (HazDat 2007). Cadmium compounds have been identified in at least 3 of the 1,669 hazardous waste sites. However, the number of sites evaluated for cadmium is not known. The frequency of these sites can be seen in Figures 6-1 and 6-2. Of the 1,014 sites where cadmium has been identified, 1,005 are located within the United States, 6 are located in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (not shown), 2 are located in Guam, and 1 is located in the Virgin Islands. All sites where cadmium compounds were detected are located in the United States. Cadmium occurs in the earth’s crust at an abundance of 0.1–0.5 ppm and is commonly associated with zinc, lead, and copper ores. It is also a natural constituent of ocean water, with average levels between