Cadmium Poisoning in Japan - Research Paper Example

Cadmium Poisoning in Japan This research analysis focuses on the effects of Cadmium Poisoning in Japan and its effects on the population. Cadmium is described as a chemical element that was discovered in 1817 by a German Chemist, Friedrich Stromeyer. It is a bluish-white color, and it is a bivalent metal, possessing ductility and malleability properties. The ingredient described in Cadmium is an impurity with the metal zinc. The chemical symbol for Cadmium is Cd with an atomic number of 48. Based on the periodic table, Cadmium is in a group of 12, thus sharing chemical properties that are similar to zinc and mercury. In most zinc ores, this element occurs in minute quantities. Excessive exposure to the Cadmium chemical is the result of Cadmium Poisoning. Human exposure to Cadmium causes damage to the body. The high levels of toxic compounds in Cadmium are dangerous to humans and the environment. If the chemical is taken orally or inhaled, it can cause tremendous health issues for the human body, and there have been numerous reports of fatalities after exposure to the body. Immediately after contact of large amounts of Cadmium with the body, the Cadmium poisoning poses a threat to the body. Small amounts of the chemical do not require much to detox the body. However, according to reports, 10 milligrams of cadmium is dangerous to the body. The most common disease associated with Cadmium is the Itai-itai disease. It is a severe form of chronic Cadmium poisoning, and it is caused by prolonged oral Cadmium ingestion. It harms the body by causing renal and bone injury. During the initial stage, femoral pain and lumbago are present. This pain gradually spreads throughout the body. If pressure is applied to the bones, the pain increases. Additional damage to the bones can cause the body to worsen. If the patient is bed-ridden, the body continues to deteriorate. The first study presented in this research analysis of Cadmium Poisoning in Japan is a study on the “Influence of Drinking and/or Cooking with Jinzu River Water on the Development of Itai-Itai Disease.” The second study is a Comparison between “Cadmium in Rice and Renal Effects among inhabitants of the Jinzu River Basin.” The third study focuses on the “Influence of Consumption of Cadmium-Polluted Rice or Jinzu River Water on Occurrence of Renal Tubular Dysfunction and/or Itai-itai Disease.” Jinzu River Water and the Itai-Itai Disease According to the study on the “Influence of Drinking and/or Cooking with Jinzu River Water on the Development of Itai-itai Disease,” the authors’ focus was on evaluating the amount of Cadmium exposure that would cause the development of Itai-itai disease. To begin the study, the Jinzu River Water was evaluated to determine the affects of drinking and/or cooking from the river. In this study, the subject population consisted of 38 Itai-itai disease patients. These patients were admitted to undergo medical testing and asked to complete a questionnaire survey. The medical testing was divided into two phases. The “mild disease onset” phase of the testing represented the point where patients felt leg and back pain. The second phase was the “severe disease onset,” where the patients experienced extreme manifestations, such as ambulatory disturbance. According to the report, “In a comparison of non-users/users of river water, mean age and lifetime Cd intake (LDd) 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. (Kobayashi, Suwazono, Dochi, Honda, Kido, and Nakagawa). Numerous Cadmium (Cd) polluted regions were found in Japan. The source of the Cadmium pollution came from an upstream mine. In Toyama Prefecture, the Jinzu River basin is most heavily populated by the chemical. The aliments associated with the traces of Cadmium are renal tubular dysfunction, and the patients with Itai-itai that were evaluated in this study had the disease in the endemic area. After thorough health investigations in 1967 and 1968, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare determined from these epidemiological investigations that the Itai-itai disease developed from osteomalacia associated with renal dysfunction resulting from chronic Cd poisoning. Rice was associated with the Cadmium chemical, and the people who ate the rice consumed one half to two thirds of Cadmium. Materials and Methods “Patients with Itai-itai disease were diagnosed and recognized by the Differential Diagnosis Committee on Itai-itai disease and Cadmium Poisoning established by the Toyama Prefecture Health Authority.” (Kobayashi, Suwazono, Dochi, Honda, Kido, and Nakagawa). A study was complete in 1977 and 1978. The subject population was 53 with a total of 59 patients with Itai-itai Disease. A group of 16 people required observation and were admitted for medical examinations at the Kanazawa Medical University Hospital or the Toyama Prefectural Central Hospital. There were seven people who required observation and were eventually recognized as patients with Itai-itai disease through 2008. This made a total of 60 patients with the Itai-itai disease, and these patients were later admitted for medical examination. In order to determine the patients’ medical history, the health officials used direct questioning and extensive medical testing. In this study, the researcher determined the ages of patients at mild disease onset and severe disease onset through questioning. The researchers determined that the age of the mild disease onset coincided with the age when the patient felt leg/back pain. The severe disease onset coincided with the patients’ experience with hitherto severest pain. This pain is associated with disturbance of ambulation and/or bone fractures. For the purpose of this study, the medical records were verified through the medical charts at the hospital. As of November 17, 2008, the number of patients with the Itai-itai disease totaled 195 patients, 3 men and 192 women. Results After the study was completed, the researchers compared the population of people who used the Jinzu River water for drinking and cooking with the people who did not use the river for drinking and cooking. The mild disease onset in the people who used the river source versus the people who did not appeared to occur earlier. In addition, the severe disease onset appeared to be similar to the mild disease onset. In the study, the researchers performed a calculation of the amount of lifetime Cadmium intake at mild disease onset, severe disease onset, and at time of death of 38 individual Itai-itai disease patients. This information was compared to the amounts of lifetime Cadmium intake estimation of non-users and users groups of Jinzu River water for drinking, cooking, and drinking and/or cooking. After the comparison was completed, the researchers determined that non-users/users of river water, the mean age and amounts of lifetime Cadmium intake at mild and severe disease onset revealed smaller values in the user group as opposed to the non-user group. The influence of Cadmium consumption from the Jinzu River water caused the differences in the mean lifetime Cadmium intakes in non-users/users of the river water. In the mean lifetime Cadmium intakes in non-users of the river water comparison and the difference in values, the researchers made a suggestion that the lifetime Cadmium intake estimated from consuming the Cadmium polluted rice and various foods resulted in a higher chance of developing the Itai-itai disease, rather than drinking and/or cooking with the Cadmium polluted river water from the Jinzu River. Cadmium in Rice and Renal and the Jinzu River Basin This study compares the “Cadmium in Rice and Renal Effects among Inhabitants of the Jinzu River Basin.” According to the study, Japan has experienced many areas where Cadmium has polluted their environment and caused a serious threat to the people’s health. The common disease Itai-itai has formed from the Cadmium-polluted Jinzu River basin. This chemical is very dangerous and has Japan investigating the relationship between cadmium concentration in rice and abnormal urinary findings from the people who live along the Jinzu River basin. This information is useful in gathering information regarding the amount of Cadmium in the area. Materials and Methods “In 1967, an extensive epidemiological study regarding Itai-itai disease was performed for all inhabitants more than 30 years of age in the Jinzu River Basin and its adjacent districts.” (Nogawa and Ishizaki). The study was comprised of a questionnaire and semi-quantitative determination of protein and glucose in urine. However, the researchers in this study retrieved information from the analytical data of the epidemiological study that was performed in 1967. The study used thirty-eight hamlets located in the core of the Jinzu River basin. These areas were marked as the exposed target areas. People who were over thirty years of age were selected as the target group. Analytical data from the study performed in 1967 was reused for this study. The data contained 2741 people in the area. For a comparison area, the study used people over the age of 30 in non-polluted areas along the Jinzu River basin. A total of 2372 people were selected for the non-polluted areas comparison group. The participation rate was 90%, and the 2150 participants in the analytical data could be reused for this study. The selection of variables for the study consisted of proteinuria and proteinuria with glucosuria. These variables were included in the study because the two indicated cadmium-induced renal damage. These variables were chosen based on the 1967 epidemiological study. The presence of proteinuria, glucosuria, and proteinuria with glucosuria in polluted areas as opposed to non-polluted areas was higher. The presence of proteinuria was the highest substance in the polluted areas. The lowest substance in both the polluted and non-polluted areas was proteinura with glucosuria. The selection of the dose variable for this study was based on the cadmium concentrations in household rice. This was the rice that was produced from the families own fields. The daily intake of Cadmium in cadmium-polluted areas depended on the concentration in rice. In addition, the residence history in the polluted areas was an important factor in determining the total exposure dose. Analyzing the past data of cadmium concentrations in rice is important in evaluating the cadmium concentration in the current rice supply. Each participant was asked to give a morning urine sample. The study used a 100 milliliter polyethylene bottle that was washed in distilled water to take the sample. After the urine samples were retrieved from the participants, the samples were immediately transported to the laboratory and analyzed. According to the study, “Protein was determined by a modification of the method of Kingsbury-Clark.” (Kingsbury et al., 1926; Fukushima and Sakamoto, 1974). “The glucose level was determined by using the method of Benedict.” (Kanai, 1964). In this study, the proteinuria was defined as more than 100 mg/liter of urinary protein and glucosuria was defined as more than 0.031% (310 mg/liter) of urinary glucose. (Nogawa and Ishizaki). To identify the sampling and analyze the rice, a study completed in 1972 used unpolished rice samples from 583 households. A total of 1088 households in 38 villages were selected for the 1972 study. This totaled 53.6% of the exposed target areas. Results The study presented Cadmium concentrations in 583 rice samples. These samples came from Cadmium polluted areas in Japan. The results were based on the following formula: 0.59 +/- 0.39 ug Cd/g wet weight. Based on the village average rice-cadmium concentration, the residents in 38 villages were divided into three groups. The researchers tested the presence of proteinuria and proteinuria with glucosuria. The test indicated that the presence of proteinuria and proteinuria with glucosuria increased as the age and cadmium concentration of rice increased. Consumption of Cadmium-Polluted Rice or Jinzu River Water This study, “Influence of Consumption of Cadmium-Polluted Rice or Jinzu River Water on Occurrence of Renal Tubular Dysfunction and/or Itai-itai Disease,” focuses on discovering if the consumption of Cadmium caused Renal Tubular Dysfunction. Health examinations were conducted in 1967 and1968. The research analysis focused on the entire population along the Jinzu River basin. The subjects for the study were people who resided in the area. The target population was people over the age of fifty. The subjects totaled 3,078 who resided in the area for thirty years. The participants were divided based on their residence in fifty-five hamlets. The participants in the study completed a questionnaire survey, which focused on their use of Jinzu River water for drinking and cooking. Materials and Methods In order to complete this research study, tests were conducted on the whole population along the Jinzu River, Jinzu River and Ushigakubi canal, basin, a non-Jinzu River basin, and a region receiving a mixed water supply. The participants involved in this study were over the age of 30. The non-Jinzu River basin is irrigated by the Kumano River and the Ida River. These two rivers were not polluted by the Cadmium chemical. The polluted and the non-polluted water sources were used for field irrigation. In 1967 and 1968, 13,183 people received urinary examination. There were 6,155 men and 7,028 women in this group. The participation rate was 90.3%. After testing, 3,078 subjects were selected, totaling 1,527 men and 1,551 women. During the periods of 1971 to 1976, Cadmium contamination was discovered by the Toyama Prefecture Department of Health in unpolished non-glutinous rice. The Cadmium contamination affected the entire endemic district of the Jinzu River basin and adjacent water systems. The area was sectioned into 2,500 smaller areas. The Department of Health took a sample of mature rice from the stalk in the middle of the sub areas. According to the article, “A sample of mature rice on the stalk was taken in the center of each sub-area and its Cd concentration determined by atomic absorption spectrometry after wet ashing with HNO3/H2SO4 and extraction with diethyldithiocarbamate/methyl isobutylketone.” (Kobayashi, Suwazono, Dochi, Honda, Kido). Results After reviewing the study, the researchers indicated that the prevalence of abnormal urinary findings or patients with Itai-itai disease increased in parallel with increasing Cd (Cadmium) concentrations in rice in the 55 hamlets. (Kobayashi, Suwazono, Dochi, Honda, and Kido). The results were statistically significant in both men and women based on the correlation coefficients. Legal Action The impact of the Cadmium Poisoning in the Japan Region forced many people to sue. There were a total of 29 plaintiffs who sued the Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company. The plaintiffs consisted of nine victims and twenty family members of victims. The cases were filed in 1968 in the Toyama Prefectural Court. In 1971, a verdict was decided and found the Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company guilty. However, the company appealed the verdict in the Nagoya District Court in Kanazawa. In August 1972, the court rejected the appeal. The Mining and Smelting Company agreed to pay the victims’ medical expenses, finance the residents’ monitoring of the water quality in the river, and pay reparations to the victims affected by the disease. The people who have the Itai-itai disease or considers themselves victims of the disease must contact the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in order for their claims to be assessed. The victims of the disease are displeased with the government’s handling of the claims and request procedural changes. The re-assessments consist of reviewing the criterion for victims who have legal rights and the treatment of the disease. According to the article, “A person is considered to have itai-itai disease if he or she lived in the contaminated areas, has kidney dysfunctions, softening of the bones, but no related heart problems. 184 victims have been legally recognized since 1967, of whom 54 were recognized in the period from 1980 to 2000. 15 victims were still alive as of 1993.” (ICD-9 / Health Information). Conclusion During the periods of 1950 through 1960, the Cadmium level in the industrial industries was high. However, due to the discovery of the risks of Cadmium, most industrial nations have reduced the limits of Cadmium exposure. Policy makers have agreed to continue to work towards further reducing the Cadmium exposure in industries. Handling the chemical is dangerous and should be done using a fume hood. The rise in Cadmium amounts have been discovered in industrial areas that have water, air, and soil. Japan has a serious environmental issue with Cadmium exposure. The residents have consumed rice that was grown from contaminated irrigated water. Cadmium exposure to food is high. Adult animals have been tested, and large amounts of Cadmium have been found in their liver and kidneys. The economic costs of the Itai-itai disease due to Cadmium poisoning were tremendous. “In 1992, the average annual health expense compensation was 743 million yen. Agricultural damage was compensated with 1.75 billion yen per year, or a total of annually 2.518 billion yen. Another 620 million yen were invested annually to reduce further pollution of the river.” (ICD-9 / Health Information). The Cadmium poisoning is a serious threat to Japan and health officials are taking the necessary steps to ensure that this pollution problem is alleviated. Many people have become sick from the Itai-itai disease, which is one of the many illnesses resulting from the intake of the Cadmium chemical. The Research Committee for Itai-itai Disease was organized by the Japan Environment Agency from 1989. This committee observed Itai-itai patients. Health Officials are organizing the proper procedures to test and fight the Itai-itai disease. Health officials have completed thorough testing to ensure that both the medical experts and residents understand the effects of Cadmium poisoning on the body. The Jinzu River water source is beneficial for the residents living along its banks. The Jinzu River has been used for cooking, drinking, and irrigation. Ensuring that the water is not contaminated is critical for the residents, health officials, and the world. The residents rely on this water source for various needs, and if the contamination is not cleaned, it will continue to affect many of the residents in the area and result in a rise in death from the poisoning. The health officials have organized teams to ensure that the residents in the area receive the effective medical care to fight the disease as researchers continue to control the spread of the Cadmium poisoning. Works Cited Eck, Paul C., Wilson, Larry. “Cadmium Toxicity.” Analytical Research Labs, Inc. Copyright © 1989 - The Eck Institute of Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd. . Kobayashi, Etsuko, Suwazono, Yasushi, Dochi, Mirei, Honda, Ryumon, Kido, Teruhiko, Nakagawa, Hideaki. “Influence of Drinking and/or Cooking with Jinzu River Water on the Development of Itai-Itai Disease.” Humana Press Inc. 2008. Kobayashi, Etsuko, Suwazono, Yasushi, Dochi, Mirei, Honda, Ryumon, Kido, Teruhiko. “Influence of Consumption of Cadmium-Polluted Rice or Jinzu River Water on Occurrence of Renal Tubular Dysfunction and/or Itai-itai Disease.” Humana Press Inc. 2008. Mason, R.W., Elliott, G.S., Jones, S.D. “Cadmium.” . Nogawa, Koji, Ishizaki, Arinobu. “A Comparison between Cadmium in Rice and Renal Effects among Inhabitants of the Jinzu River Basin.” Environmental Research18, 410-420 (1979). Copyright 1979 by Academic Press, Inc. Raghuvanshi, Kulbhushaan. “Cadmium Poisoning.” . “Cadmium.” National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. . “Cadmium Poisoning.” Medical Surgical Encyclopedia. . “Health effects on inhabitants living in cadmium polluted areas in Japan.” . “Itai-itai Disease.” ICD-9 / Health Information. . Read More