Pulmonary carcinogenicity of cadmium by inhalation in animals

Aerosols of cadmium sulfate, cadmium oxide and cadmium sulfide pigment were investigated for carcinogenic effects after inhalation exposure in rats, hamsters and mice. All the cadmium compounds tested appear to have a very similar carcinogenic potency in the rat lung, whereas no exposure-related tumours occured in hamsters and in mice only cadmium oxide seemed to increase the lung tumour rate. (...) A clear cut carcinogenic effect of cadmium sulfide could not be proved by this inhalation study, but because of the high carcinogenic potency of cadmium ions in the rat lung and because cadmium sulfide retained in the lung is bioavailable to a certain extent, aerosols of this compound should be regarded as a probable human carcinogen.