Environmental contamination by cadmium (Cd) is a subject of serious international concern as the metal can enter the food chain and be bioaccumulated, endangering human health.1 The main pathways of Cd exposure to humans are by inhalation of particles or fumes during industrial operations or in cigarette smoke and by ingestion of Cd in food or water.1-4 The extremely long biological half-life of Cd essentially makes it a cumulative toxin in the liver and kidney which makes up the bulk of total body burden.5 It has been reported that after absorption, Cd is taken up by hepatocytes and then circulates in blood as a metallothionein complex (Cd-Mt). Because of its small molecular size, Cd-Mt can pass easily through the glomerular membrane and be taken up by renal tubular cells. The methallothionein is then catabolized releasing Cd+2 into the cytoplasm. This induces synthesis of new methallothionein molecules, which in turn, bind and retain Cd in the kidney for a long period of time6,7 causing toxicity.