Historical background of international consultations on cadmium

The fertilizer industry, through IFA, has been closely involved in a series of research projects on the impact of cadmium on human health and the environment.

World Health Organization (WHO)

In 1972, WHO suggested provisionally that the maximum intake of cadmium should not exceed one µg (microgramme) per kg of body weight, i.e. about 54 and 70 µg/day for an average adult woman and man respectively. This is considered to be a rather small safety margin, but upon review in 2003 the permissible level of 1 µg per kg of body weight was maintained.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

In 1994 and 1995, after a series of analysis on cadmium, the OECD stated that work should continue on reducing exposure to cadmium and that accumulation of cadmium in soil, from all sources, should be minimized. It also concluded that the cadmium present in phosphate fertilizers did not present an urgent or acute risk to human health. The recommendation was made that timeframes should be such as to enable both importing and exporting nations to make adjustments without undue hardship. It was recommended that technologies for the removal of cadmium from phosphoric acid should be developed.

International Council for Science’s Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)

in 2000 and 2003, SCOPE organized two workshops on cadmium in the environment to examine the human and ecological health risks and review risk management options. The workshops brought an interdisciplinary approach to risk assessment and management that involves the setting of standards, the development and implementation of policies, and the balancing of risks in relation to meeting global food needs, with special reference to the developing world. The investigations revealed that there is no conclusive evidence of any adverse impact on human health of cadmium in phosphate fertilizers. This is the case even in Australia where there is a long history of application of high cadmium-containing fertilizers.

European Commission

In 2003, the European Commission began drafting a Directive that would have set strict and harmonized limits on permitted cadmium levels in phosphate fertilizers. The Commission’s initial argument was that cadmium in fertilizers accumulated in agricultural soils and could become concentrated in the food chain, thus creating a risk for human health. The fertilizer industry had several concerns with the proposed text, in particular because of the lack of scientific basis for the thresholds set, of economically viable solutions to reduce the content of cadmium in phosphate fertilizers (decadmiation) and the subsequent market distortions triggered by near monopoly situations. The Commission has, to date, not reached a decision on this matter. Currently, three countries regulate cadmium in phosphate fertilizers in the EU: Austria, Finland and Sweden.

Contributions to the consultation on cadmium in fertilizers

IFA's comments on the draft European Commission (EC) Proposal Relating to Cadmium in Fertilizers

United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)

In 2005, UNEP established a Lead and Cadmium Working Group 2005 which is undertaking a review of scientific information on cadmium and of existing national, regional and international regulations on cadmium disposal and use. This effort is still ongoing but focuses now on transboundary movement of cadmium through atmospheric and marine flow and international trade. The main issue is also the disposal of cadmium in developing countries.