CADMIUM may have to be added to the list of gender-bending substances after the discovery that the metal can have the same effects as the hormone oestrogen.
The toxic effects of high levels of cadmium on the liver and kidneys are well known. But studies by Mary Beth Martin’s team at Georgetown University in Washington DC have now shown that much lower doses of cadmium can have subtle effects. She gave cadmium to female rats whose ovaries had been removed, preventing them from making oestrogen. The animals were given a single dose of either 5 or 10 micrograms per kilogram…
