Cadmium

City of San Marcos

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.

MORE ABOUT THIS CONTAMINANT

Samples

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

Year	Average result	Samples taken	Range of results
2014	ND	3	ND
2015	ND	3	ND
2016	ND	7	ND
2017	ND	6	ND
2018	ND	3	ND
2019	ND	7	ND

ppb = parts per billion

State and national drinking water standards and health guidelines

EWG Health Guideline 0.04 ppb

The EWG 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.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL) 5 ppb

The legal limit for cadmium, established in 1991, was based on research studies of cadmium toxicity conducted in the 1970s. This limit may not fully protect against the risk of cancer due to cadmium exposure.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date	Lab ID	Result
2014-03-12	AC46696	ND
2014-08-12	AC63050	ND
2014-08-12	AC63049	ND
2015-06-10	AC95344	ND
2015-06-10	AC95343	ND
2015-06-10	AC95339	ND
2016-03-16	AD29002	ND
2016-03-16	AD29003	ND
2016-06-16	AD40879	ND
2016-09-07	AD48075	ND
2016-09-07	AD48074	ND
2016-12-12	AD61574	ND
2016-12-12	AD61581	ND
2017-02-22	AD71448	ND
2017-05-03	AD82346	ND
2017-05-03	AD82350	ND
2017-05-03	AD82349	ND
2017-05-03	AD82345	ND
2017-10-12	AE00525	ND
2018-01-25	AE10438	ND
2018-01-25	AE10439	ND
2018-07-26	AE34619	ND
2019-01-16	AE50027	ND
2019-01-16	AE50021	ND
2019-01-16	AE50024	ND
2019-01-16	AE50023	ND
2019-01-16	AE50022	ND
2019-04-16	AE62469	ND
2019-07-09	AE73591	ND