Food cadmium pigments

Regulations Affecting Foods. The cadmium pigments fulfill the legal requirements of the EC countries for colorants used in plastics which come in contact with food. 

No specific regulatory limits or listings of cadmium compounds, including cadmium pigments, were located in FDA packaging and food contact substances databases at http //www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeIing/PackagingPCS/ default.htm (e.g., EAFUS, Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance Notifications, List of Indirect Additives Used in Food Contact Substances, and Cumulative Estimated Dietary Intake databases). 

Cadmium ranks close to lead and mercury as a metal of current toxicological concern. Cadmium is used in electroplating and galvanization, and in plastics, paint pigments (cadmium yellow), and nickel-cadmium batteries. Because <5% of the metal is recycled, environmental pollution is an important consideration. Coal and other fossil fuels contain cadmium, and their combustion releases the element into the environment. Extraction and processing of zinc and lead also lead to environmental contamination with cadmium. Workers in smelters and other metal-processing plants may be exposed to high concentrations of cadmium in the air however, for most of the population, food is the major source of cadmium. 

Colouring. Pure PP is a translucent material with a whitish color. For a wide field of applications, it is desirable to pigment the resin to a specific color. Generally, there is a trend to substitute toxic substances like cadmium-based pigments by food and drug approved dyestuffs. 

Cadmium, used as a pigment in plastics and ceramic glazes, has been detected in some types of household plastics, food packaging, and from ceramics and glassware. 

More research is needed to determine the ability of cadmium used in pigments to migrate out of household plastics and food contact materials. 

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