UK legal limit: 5 µg/L. What cadmium is, its health context, and how to check and reduce it in your tap water.
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Cadmium is a soft metal used historically in batteries, pigments and plating. It can enter water from industrial sources or, occasionally, from corrosion of old galvanised plumbing and certain fittings. The UK legal limit (PCV) for cadmium in drinking water is 5 µg/L.
Cadmium is classified as carcinogenic to humans, and long-term high exposure is associated with kidney damage. These effects relate to exposure well above drinking-water limits, often from diet or smoking. UK tap water is tested routinely and stays comfortably within the 5 µg/L standard.
Reverse osmosis certified to NSF/ANSI 58 removes the great majority of cadmium. If you have old galvanised pipework, flushing the tap before use also helps.
Cadmium is reported by 115 supply zones in our dataset. The highest recorded mean across those zones is 0.6 µg/L — around one-eighth of the 5 µg/L limit — and reporting zones sit well within the standard. Enter your postcode above to see your zone.
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Cadmium is present only at trace levels. In our data, 115 zones report it with a highest mean of 0.6 µg/L, comfortably below the 5 µg/L legal limit.
The UK Prescribed Concentration Value for cadmium in drinking water is 5 µg/L, in line with the WHO guideline.
Cadmium can come from industrial pollution and, occasionally, corrosion of old galvanised pipes or certain plumbing fittings. In the UK, most dietary cadmium exposure comes from food rather than water.
Reverse osmosis systems certified to NSF/ANSI 58 remove most cadmium. Flushing the tap first thing in the morning also reduces any metal picked up from standing water in old pipes.
At UK tap water levels cadmium is not a demonstrated health concern. Enter your postcode above to check whether your zone reports it.