79% into batteries
11% into pigments.
As a large amount of rubbish which includes batteries is buried or burnt I would be less confident than this article that batteries are safely disposed of and recycled.
Easy battery collection points and an understanding of the possible impact of cadmium on women might help. (the idea of frazzled testicles might get through to men as well !! - an image for a bin poster comes to mind - "An acute intake of cadmium causes testicular damage. Within a few hours of exposure, there is necrosis and degeneration of the testes with complete loss of spermatozoa." ok - it is an accute dosage but what is impact of low dosage?)
I suppose the potential of children having access should be considered too.
Any thoughts?.
RB
http://www.cadmium.org/introduction.html
INTRODUCTION
Cadmium is a naturally occurring metallic element, one of the components in the earth’s crust, and present everywhere in our environment. It was first discovered in Germany in 1817. The name is derived from the Latin cadmia and the Greek kadmeia.
Industrial applications for cadmium were first developed in the late 19th and early 20th Century. Cadmium-sulfide based pigments were used as early as 1850 and appeared prominently in the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. Thomas A. Edison invented the first industrial nickel-cadmium batteries in the early part of the 20th century. The early significant industrial use of cadmium, however, was in cadmium coatings for the corrosion protection of steel.
Releases of cadmium to the environment from the manufacture of cadmium products are well controlled and, today, are insignificant contributors to human exposure to cadmium. Similarly, consumer use and disposal of cadmium-containing products, such as batteries, pigments and coatings, have been shown not to contribute significantly to increased human exposure to cadmium.
Cadmium is recognized to produce toxic effects on humans. Long-term occupational exposure can cause adverse health effects on the lungs and kidneys. Under normal conditions, adverse human health effects have not been encountered from general population exposure to cadmium. Potential risks have been extensively studied and are now tightly controlled.
Cadmium is natural
The naturally occurring presence of cadmium in the environment results mainly from gradual phenomena, such as rock erosion and abrasion, and of singular occurrences, such as volcanic eruptions.
Cadmium is therefore naturally present in air, water, soil and foodstuffs.
Natural cadmium levels in the environment
Atmosphere
0.1 to 5 ng/m³*
Earth's crust
0.1 to 0.5 µg/g
Marine sediment
~1 µg/g
Sea-water
~0.1 µg/l
* ng = nanograms = 10E-9 g
Cadmium pysical properties
Chemical symbol
Cd
Form
white, soft metal
Characteristics
malleable, ductile and flexible
Melting point
321°C
Atomic number
48
Atomic weight
112.41
Density
8.64 g/cm³
Cadmium is useful
Cadmium is a by-product of the primary non ferrous metal industry. Rather than disposing of it as a waste, engineers have been able to utilise its unique properties for many important industrial applications.
The most remarkable characteristics of cadmium are its great resistance to corrosion, its low melting-point and excellent electrical conduction. Cadmium compounds exhibit excellent resistance to chemicals and to high temperatures. Finally, cadmium pigments produce intense colourings such as yellow, orange and red, and are well known pigments in artists' colours, plastics, glasses, ceramics and enamels.
For all these reasons, cadmium is widely used in special alloys, pigments, coatings stabilisers and, above all (almost 70% of its use), in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries (Figure 1).
Figure 1
Western World Cadmium Consumption Pattern - 2003