The latest national French biomonitoring study (ESTEBAN), published by Santé Publique France in 2021 (data from 2014–2016), indicated higher cadmium contamination levels than their previous survey (National Nutrition & Health Study 2006-2007). In addition the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) recently published data from the third total diet study which revealed high dietary exposure to cadmium for children and, to a lesser extent, adults. Looking at all the sources of exposure to cadmium, ANSES was able to estimate current cadmium contamination levels in the French population, taking account of the lifelong accumulation of cadmium in the body. They have reported that a significant proportion of the population is likely to exceed health reference values developed by the Agency. Cadmium is considered a Group 1 human carcinogen by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
ANSES examined all the possible sources of exposure to cadmium: food, water, air, dust, soil, cosmetics and smoking and reported that food is by far the largest source of exposure, accounting for up to 98% of cadmium contamination levels in the non-smoking population. The foods that contribute the most are cereal products (breakfast cereals, bread and dry bread products, croissant-like pastries, pastries, cakes and sweet biscuits, pasta, rice and wheat), as well as potatoes and certain vegetables. Phosphate fertilisers are suggested as one of the routes to cadmium contamination of soil.
Géraldine Carne, coordinator of the expert appraisal at ANSES concluded that:
“If current levels of exposure continue and no action is taken, long-term adverse effects are likely for a growing proportion of the population”
https://www.anses.fr/en/content/cadmium-take-action-immediately-source-soil-contamination
