Is the cadmium in everyday foods like rice and vegetables dangerous?

What's actually in it

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that gets into food through contaminated soil. Rice, leafy greens, root vegetables, shellfish, and whole grains absorb it as they grow. You can't wash it off or cook it out. It's inside the food itself.

For non-smokers, food is responsible for nearly 100% of cadmium intake. Your body removes cadmium very slowly, so even small daily doses build up over years.

What the research says

A 2026 global analysis in Environ Int estimated how much kidney disease, lung cancer, and bone disease worldwide is caused by cadmium from food and cigarettes.

Dietary cadmium turned out to be the bigger threat globally, responsible for more disease than cigarette cadmium. Rice was the single largest dietary source, followed by vegetables and grains. Regions with high rice consumption, particularly in East and Southeast Asia, had the highest cadmium-related health burden.

Even in countries where rice isn't the staple, root vegetables, wheat, and leafy greens contribute meaningful cadmium exposure over a lifetime.

How to lower your risk

Rinsing rice before cooking and using extra water (then draining it) can reduce cadmium levels in cooked rice. Eating a varied diet rather than relying heavily on one grain spreads the exposure across different foods. Choosing vegetables from farms with clean soil helps, though that information isn't always available.