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Cadmium in Food: How The Heavy Metal Gets Into Food

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is found in the environment and is also found in our food. We have summarized how dangerous cadmium in food is and what else you need to know here.

What is cadmium?

Cadmium is a chemical element that is highly toxic. It occurs in very small amounts in the earth’s crust, in weathered rock and is also formed during volcanic eruptions. It is mostly a by-product of the extraction of lead, copper and zinc. It is also formed when batteries are improperly disposed of and is used in the paint industry and for the production of pesticides and fertilizers.

The toxic heavy metal is therefore widespread and often unavoidable, as it has been accumulating in the soil for centuries. There it is hardly biodegradable and thus ends up in our food chain.

Which foods are particularly contaminated with cadmium?

Cadmium is taken up by plants from the soil and stored in their tissues. Rain or manual cleaning of the plants can therefore not reduce the cadmium load. These plants are processed into animal feed (e.g. soya) or get straight from the field to our plates (e.g. grain).

Particularly contaminated with cadmium are:
Seafood,
Offal,
wild mushrooms,
oilseeds,
Wheat,
Potatoes,
Leafy vegetables.
Other cereals and vegetables are also contaminated, but not as badly. Because wheat products and potatoes in particular are staple foods, many people reach the daily tolerable amount of cadmium. And that, although the intestines only

Maximum dose of cadmium per week

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA
According to the Federal Ministry for the Environment, although the cadmium load in Germany is high, it is well below the toxicologically tolerated intake level of the EFSA. On average, we take in around 1.5 µg of cadmium per kilogram of body weight per week through food. Vegetarians get around 1.8 µg of cadmium per kilogram of body weight because they eat more grains and other plant-based foods. Smokers also have a higher intake of cadmium, since 50% of the cadmium contained in tobacco is ingested by humans.

Risks and dangers of cadmium

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal. Chronically high exposure to cadmium can lead to kidney failure and demineralization of the bones (osteoporosis). As early as 1993, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified cadmium as a human carcinogen for lung cancer.

US researchers have shown in a study that cadmium accelerates the aging of body cells and thus increases the risk of various diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

Reduce your own cadmium intake

To a small extent, you can ensure that you absorb less cadmium through food:
If you choose food from controlled organic farming, you reduce the cadmium intake somewhat. A study has shown that organically grown grain contains less cadmium. This is partly because mineral fertilizers are not used in organic farming. According to the Federal Environment Agency, phosphorus fertilizers from conventional agriculture can contain high amounts of cadmium.
Also, make sure you’re getting enough iron and calcium. Because if there is a deficiency, the body releases more cadmium from the food, say doctors.
In the long run, however, only reducing the cadmium in nature helps. This means that, for example, the cadmium content in fertilizers is reduced and old batteries and accumulators are disposed of properly.

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Lifestyle

Effectively Clean Steel and Metal with Home Remedies

Metal is usually a material that is quite frugal. But now and then you have to clean metal. A common metal is a steel. We will show you which home remedies you can use to effectively clean metal and steel. So that your metal objects last a long time.

Special base metals, which are found in the household as alloys, are susceptible to rust and other contamination. Therefore, you should regularly clean objects made of these types of metal. Simple home remedies such as vinegar, lemon, and Co. will help you with this.

What are metals?

Colloquially, one often speaks of metal. Metals designate certain types of chemical elements. And these are located on the periodic table of elements to the left and below the dividing line between boron to polonium. Consequently, there are different metals, including gold and silver. But iron, steel, and copper are also metals. These types of chemical elements have certain properties. Accordingly, they can conduct heat and electricity and are easily deformable. You can differentiate the metals into groups: there are heavy and light metals, as well as base and precious metals.

Different types of metal in the home

In the household itself, there are many areas in which metals are used. However, these are often alloys. It’s a mixture of two metals. Steel, aluminum, brass, and silver are often used in the household. As a result, your cutlery, vases, or a safe that holds cash, passport, and important papers may be made of metal. While the cleaning of cutlery is carried out more often, the valuables compartment, on the other hand, gets dusty very quickly.

Rust is a big problem with metal

You should clean metal regularly. Because some types of metal can rust. These include the base types, such as iron, aluminum, steel, zinc, tin, etc. You should quickly remove the rust from the cutlery so that the rust does not attack the metal. Here are a few home remedies that can help:

1) Cleaning with vinegar

You can clean metal, like steel, using vinegar, a powerful household remedy. Because this is a real all-rounder. Consequently, removing rust is easy. In addition, you usually have this handy in the household. To do this, you have to apply vinegar to the affected areas and leave it to work for several hours. Then it should resolve itself. If not, help with a cloth. Also, read our article on cleaning the grill grate and removing rust.

2) Clean metal with coke

To do this, sprinkle the affected area with some cola. Then let the cola sit for several hours. The acid contained dissolves the rust. So you can just wipe it off. So cola is a good home remedy to remove rust. In addition, also read how to clean clogged pipes with coke.

3) Clean metal with lemon

If you don’t have any cola in the house, you can also use the juice of a lemon as a home remedy. Here, too, you have to rub the rusty area with the juice and let it soak in. Then you have to wipe away the lemon juice with a cloth. So you can use this method to remove rust from pans and pots.

The cleaning of steel

Many areas in the house or apartment are made of stainless steel or steel. Normally, cleaning steel should be quite easy for you. Because this is a metal that can be easily treated. For example, you can use the following home remedies to clean stainless steel:

  • Vinegar
  • lemon juice
  • water with the household remedy baking powder

To do this, apply the agents mentioned to the surface. Then let it soak in for a while. Then clean the surface with warm water and a soft cloth. It is recommended to polish after cleaning to make the steel shine. Of course, it depends on what kind of product it is and where you use it. In addition, note our tricks for removing rust stains from clothing.

Use special stainless steel cleaners

Especially for stainless steel, it can be useful to use a special cleaner. This is then placed on a microfiber cloth. Then you can easily clean the surfaces. The advantage of the clothes is that they do not attack the surface and scratches do not occur.

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