Research is beginning to show that cadmium, a widespread metallic contaminant that has received little attention from regulators, could be even more dangerous to children’s health than lead. Children with high cadmium levels are three times more likely to have learning disabilities. These links to learning disabilities and special education were found at commonplace levels of cadmium previously thought to be harmless.
Cadmium can be absorbed into food from contaminated soil, and it also has been found to be present in some inexpensive children’s jewelry.
Scientific American reports:
“Until now, the nervous system has not received much attention as a target for cadmium. Some studies of adult workers, however, have shown that high exposures can trigger neurological problems, and small, earlier studies of children found links to mental retardation and decreased IQs. The new study is the largest to look at connections between cadmium in urine and neurological effects, and the only one that has used a national group of children.”