Cadmium
Status: National drinking water standard exists
Cadmium is a toxic metal found in food and drinking water. It has been linked to kidney toxicity, bone damage, cancer, and damage to developing fetuses.
2015:
29
states detected
301
utilities detected
2.5 million
people served
28
states over health guideline
220
utilities over health guideline
615,000
people served over health guideline
2
states over legal limit
2
utilities over legal limit
428
people served over legal limit
Health concerns for cadmium
Cancer
Harm to the kidney
Change in behavior
State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines
Health Guideline 0.04 ppb
The health guideline of 0.04 ppb for cadmium was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against harm to internal organs.
ppb = parts per billion.
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) 5 ppb
The enforceable federal standard that defines the highest level of a contaminant allowed in drinking water.
ppb = parts per billion.
EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level Goal (MCLG)5 ppb
A non-enforceable federal health guideline. For cancer-causing chemicals, these health goals are typically set to zero.
ppb = parts per billion.
States reporting cadmium in drinking water
| UTILITIES REPORTING ABOVE HEALTH GUIDELINES | UTILITIES WITH CONTAMINATION | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Utilities | People Served | Utilities | People Served | |||
| California | 17 | 82,641 | 50 | 1,365,053 | |||
| New Jersey | 30 | 90,131 | 64 | 504,947 | |||
| Virginia | 1 | 3,958 | 5 | 159,697 | |||
| Florida | 73 | 105,386 | 73 | 105,386 | |||
| Wisconsin | 15 | 72,331 | 21 | 72,884 | |||
| Louisiana | 9 | 36,173 | 9 | 36,173 | |||
| Maryland | 2 | 35,506 | 2 | 35,506 | |||
| Pennsylvania | 12 | 33,469 | 12 | 33,469 | |||
| Indiana | 9 | 32,536 | 9 | 32,536 | |||
| Maine | 2 | 31,465 | 2 | 31,465 | |||
| Missouri | 15 | 25,592 | 15 | 25,592 | |||
| Colorado | 5 | 24,599 | 5 | 24,599 | |||
| Kentucky | 2 | 16,362 | 2 | 16,362 | |||
| Illinois | 3 | 10,760 | 3 | 10,760 | |||
| New Mexico | 1 | 400 | 2 | 8,232 | |||
| Utah | 1 | 3,600 | 1 | 3,600 | |||
| New York | 4 | 3,409 | 4 | 3,409 | |||
| South Carolina | 5 | 1,894 | 7 | 2,286 | |||
| Tennessee | 1 | 2,133 | 1 | 2,133 | |||
| South Dakota | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1,768 | |||
| Idaho | 1 | 821 | 1 | 821 | |||
| North Carolina | 3 | 641 | 3 | 641 | |||
| Washington | 2 | 315 | 2 | 315 | |||
| Arizona | 2 | 251 | 2 | 251 | |||
| Mississippi | 1 | 250 | 1 | 250 | |||
| Oklahoma | 1 | 225 | 1 | 225 | |||
| Texas | 1 | 219 | 1 | 219 | |||
| Oregon | 1 | 96 | 1 | 96 | |||
| Connecticut | 1 | 52 | 1 | 52 | |||
Utilities with the highest amounts of cadmium, 2015
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Acres Mobile Home Park | Calabasas, OK | 1 of 1 | 13.7 ppb | 225 |
| Crown King Water Company | Glendale, AZ | 9 of 9 | 8.49 ppb | 203 |
| Hoosier Hills Regional Water District* | Milan, IN | 1 of 1 | 4.30 ppb | 8,708 |
| Clear Meadows S/d | Mint Hill, NC | 1 of 1 | 4.20 ppb | 163 |
| Vista Del Toro Ws | Salinas, CA | 3 of 3 | 4.00 ppb | 87 |
| Valley Springs Water Company | Coatesville, PA | 1 of 1 | 3.40 ppb | 2,500 |
| Del Oro East Plano District | Chico, CA | 1 of 1 | 3.30 ppb | 50 |
| Desoto | De Soto, MO | 4 of 4 | 3.05 ppb | 6,400 |
| York County Shelters | Alfred, ME | 1 of 1 | 3.00 ppb | 25 |
| Bluewater Lake Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association | Prewitt, NM | 1 of 2 | 3.00 ppb | 400 |
| Sneedville Utility District | Sneedville, TN | 1 of 1 | 2.83 ppb | 2,133 |
| Norton, City of* | Norton, VA | 1 of 1 | 2.30 ppb | 3,958 |
| Prine Drive Apartments | Tumwater, WA | 1 of 1 | 2.00 ppb | 40 |
| Park Hills | Park Hills, MO | 1 of 1 | 1.50 ppb | 9,181 |
| Tierra Verde Mutual Water Company | Salinas, CA | 1 of 1 | 1.50 ppb | 48 |
| California Water Service Co-lake Hughes | San Jose, CA | 1 of 2 | 1.50 ppb | 673 |
| Guthries Sunshine Park | Thonotosassa, FL | 1 of 1 | 1.50 ppb | 40 |
| Emil-mar Subdivision | Ocala, FL | 1 of 1 | 1.50 ppb | 270 |
| Robley Property Mws | Salinas, CA | 1 of 1 | 1.40 ppb | 80 |
| Sl County Service Area No. 3 - Snowbird | Riverton, UT | 3 of 6 | 1.38 ppb | 3,600 |
| Bailey Place Mobile Home Park | Mulberry, FL | 1 of 1 | 1.30 ppb | 150 |
| Lena Water Association | Lena, MS | 1 of 2 | 1.25 ppb | 250 |
| Fairfax S/d | Gastonia, NC | 1 of 1 | 1.20 ppb | 150 |
| Harvard Hills Water Corporation | Washington, IL | 1 of 1 | 1.10 ppb | 250 |
| Cabazon Water District | Cabazon, CA | 1 of 1 | 1.10 ppb | 2,535 |
| Jamestown East Homeowners Assoc | West Bend, WI | 1 of 1 | 1.000 ppb | 125 |
| Dutchess Estates Inc. | Millbrook, NY | 1 of 1 | 1.000 ppb | 500 |
| Godley Public Water District | Godley, IL | 1 of 1 | 1.000 ppb | 660 |
| Cold Spring Trailer Court | Hopewell Jctn, NY | 1 of 1 | 1.000 ppb | 29 |
| Brewster Village* | Brewster, NY | 1 of 1 | 1.000 ppb | 2,440 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Cadmium, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.
| Utility | Location | Tests | Average level | People served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Westminster | Westminster, MD | 1 of 7 | 0.557 ppb | 35,256 |
| Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells WD* | Kennebunk, ME | 1 of 6 | 0.500 ppb | 31,440 |
| Greencastle Department of Water* | Greencastle, IN | 1 of 1 | 0.500 ppb | 12,699 |
| Minden Water System | Minden, LA | 2 of 18 | 0.422 ppb | 16,950 |
| Okeechobee Utility Authority | Okeechobee, FL | 1 of 1 | 0.300 ppb | 20,000 |
| Dunedin Water System | Dunedin, FL | 1 of 1 | 0.200 ppb | 40,093 |
| St. Johns County Utilities-Ponte Vedra | Ponte Vedra Beach, FL | 1 of 1 | 0.200 ppb | 13,220 |
| Santa Paula Water System* | Santa Paula, CA | 7 of 11 | 0.145 ppb | 30,048 |
| Ridgewood Water | Ridgewood, NJ | 8 of 54 | 0.119 ppb | 61,700 |
| Slippery Rock Municipal Authority | Slippery Rock, PA | 1 of 2 | 0.1000 ppb | 15,778 |
| Waukesha Water Utility | Waukesha, WI | 2 of 4 | 0.0800 ppb | 70,718 |
| City of Durango* | Durango, CO | 3 of 12 | 0.0500 ppb | 23,069 |
| Lompoc Water Utility Division | Lompoc, CA | 1 of 11 | 0.0455 ppb | 39,846 |
| Vineland Water & Sewer Utility | Vineland, NJ | 1 of 1 | 0.0400 ppb | 33,000 |
| Fair Lawn Water Department | Fair Lawn Boro, NJ | 3 of 7 | 0.0270 ppb | 31,000 |
| California Water Service (CWS) - Salinas | San Jose, CA | 5 of 14 | 0.0244 ppb | 106,858 |
| Longport Water Department | Lonport, NJ | 1 of 1 | 0.0200 ppb | 10,777 |
| Western Virginia Water Authority* | Roanoke, VA | 4 of 9 | 0.0200 ppb | 155,000 |
| California Water Service (CWS) - King City | San Jose, CA | 1 of 4 | 0.01000 ppb | 14,441 |
| Atlantic City Municipal Utilities Authority* | Atlantic City, NJ | 1 of 2 | 0.01000 ppb | 152,415 |
| California Water Service (CWS) - Visalia | San Jose, CA | 2 of 24 | 0.00400 ppb | 135,923 |
| California Water Service (CWS) - Bakersfield* | San Jose, CA | 9 of 41 | 0.00188 ppb | 246,371 |
| Cal-water Service Company - Marysville | Chico, CA | 11 of 46 | 0.00185 ppb | 12,017 |
| City of Bakersfield | Bakersfield, CA | 15 of 63 | 0.00146 ppb | 138,309 |
| California Water Service - Livermore | Livermore, CA | 1 of 5 | 0.00140 ppb | 56,700 |
| California Water Service - Stockton | San Jose, CA | 9 of 40 | 0.00128 ppb | 185,346 |
| California Water Service - South San Francisco | San Jose, CA | 6 of 24 | 0.00104 ppb | 56,110 |
| Cal-water Service Company - Chico | Chico, CA | 2 of 17 | 0.000882 ppb | 100,435 |
| California Water Service Company - East Los Angeles | San Jose, CA | 1 of 7 | 0.000571 ppb | 150,446 |
* This water utility supplies finished drinking water to at least one other water utility. The purchasing utility is not required to test for or report Cadmium, but it likely has the contaminant in its water supply.