Cadmium in Drinking Water
EPA limits, health effects, and what to do if your water is affected.
🩨 Health Effects
Kidney damage from long-term exposure. Cadmium accumulates in the body over time. High short-term levels cause nausea and vomiting. Cadmium is a probable human carcinogen.
📍 Sources in Water
Enters water from corrosion of galvanized pipes (cadmium is an impurity in zinc), discharge from metal refineries, and runoff from hazardous waste sites and fields treated with phosphate fertilizers.
✅ What To Do
Replace galvanized pipes if possible. Use a reverse osmosis or distillation filter. Run water before drinking if pipes are old. Cadmium violations are relatively rare in community water systems.
Check your tap water for Cadmium
Search your ZIP code to see if your water system has had Cadmium violations, plus lead testing results and an overall safety grade.
Search your ZIP code →Data from the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). MCLs reflect minimum federal standards; some contaminants may pose health risks below these thresholds.