General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Cadmium (General Industry)

Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05

29 CFR 1910.1027

29 CFR 1910.1027 protects general-industry workers from cadmium, a kidney toxin and carcinogen, capping exposure at 5 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA with a 2.5 µg/m³ action level. Unusually, it tracks the body directly, biological monitoring of cadmium in blood and urine, and removes workers whose levels climb too high.

29 CFR 1910.1027 at a glance

PEL: 5 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA (29 CFR 1910.1027(c))
Action level: 2.5 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA): triggers monitoring and medical surveillance
Who it covers: General-industry employers whose workers may be exposed to airborne cadmium
Unusual duty: Biological monitoring (cadmium in blood and urine, plus beta-2-microglobulin) not just air sampling
Max penalty (2026): $16,550 per serious violation; $165,514 per willful
The #1 confusion: Cadmium adds biological monitoring of the body, on top of the air PEL: the two are separate triggers

What 29 CFR 1910.1027 requires (plain English)

29 CFR 1910.1027 protects general-industry workers from cadmium, a metal that causes kidney damage and is a lung and prostate carcinogen. The standard sets a permissible exposure limit of 5 micrograms of cadmium per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour time-weighted average, with an action level of 2.5 µg/m³ that triggers monitoring and medical surveillance.

Cadmium exposure arises in electroplating, battery manufacturing, brazing and welding cadmium-coated metal, pigment and plastic-stabilizer production, and smelting. Employers must monitor exposures, control them primarily through engineering and work-practice controls, provide respirators where needed, establish regulated areas above the PEL, and supply protective clothing, change rooms, and hygiene facilities to prevent take-home contamination.

What sets cadmium apart is biological monitoring: the medical-surveillance program tracks cadmium in blood (CDB), cadmium in urine (CDU), and beta-2-microglobulin in urine (B2M) as markers of body burden and early kidney effect, and a medical-removal-protection mechanism removes workers whose levels are too high while preserving pay and benefits. Some industries also have a separate engineering-control air limit (SECAL). Records are kept for employment plus 30 years under 1910.1020.

The regulatory text

“The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of cadmium in excess of five micrograms per cubic meter of air (5 µg/m3), calculated as an eight-hour time-weighted average exposure (TWA).”

29 CFR 1910.1027(c)

Key facts about 29 CFR 1910.1027

The cadmium PEL is 5 µg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA (1910.1027(c)).
The action level is 2.5 µg/m³ (8-hr TWA) and triggers monitoring and medical surveillance.
Cadmium causes irreversible kidney damage and is a lung and prostate carcinogen.
Biological monitoring tracks cadmium in blood (CDB), cadmium in urine (CDU), and beta-2-microglobulin (B2M).
Medical removal protection removes workers with high biological levels while preserving earnings and benefits.
Some industries have a Separate Engineering Control Air Limit (SECAL) higher than the PEL for specified processes.
Cadmium exposure and medical records must be kept for employment plus 30 years via 1910.1020.

Scope: who 29 CFR 1910.1027 applies to

Regulatory framework: General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
Citation reference: 29 CFR 1910.1027
Enforcement status: In force and enforced
Jurisdiction: Federal OSHA (29 State-Plan jurisdictions may be stricter)

State-Plan states (e.g. California, Washington, Michigan) operate OSHA-approved programs that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and frequently impose higher penalties or additional requirements. Confirm the rule as adopted in your state.

Key requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1027

#	Employer obligation
1	Limit exposure to 5 µg/m³ PEL
2	Monitor above action level (2.5 µg/m³)
3	Provide respiratory protection above PEL
4	Provide medical surveillance including biological monitoring
5	Establish regulated areas
6	Maintain exposure records for 30 years

Summarized from the text of 29 CFR 1910.1027. Always read the full regulation for the binding language.

Common Cadmium (GI) violations

Deficiencies OSHA cites under 29 CFR 1910.1027 include the ones below, in no particular order. Distinct deficiencies can be cited as separate items, and each serious item carries up to $16,550 (2026). Broader per-instance stacking exists but is a discretionary, case-by-case OSHA enforcement policy, not an automatic multiplier.

No exposure monitoring for operations that can release cadmium (brazing, plating, batteries): 1910.1027(d).
Exposures above the PEL without adequate engineering controls (1910.1027(f)).
No biological monitoring within the medical-surveillance program (1910.1027(l)).
Failure to apply medical removal protection for elevated biological results (1910.1027(l)).
No change rooms or hygiene measures to prevent take-home cadmium contamination (1910.1027(j)).

Cadmium monitors the body, not just the air

Most substance standards stop at air sampling, but cadmium adds biological monitoring of the worker. Under 1910.1027, the medical-surveillance program measures cadmium in blood and urine and beta-2-microglobulin in urine to detect body burden and early kidney effects, and it can trigger medical removal even when air concentrations look acceptable. So meeting the 5 µg/m³ air PEL is necessary but not sufficient: a worker's biological results are a separate compliance trigger. A second nuance is the SECAL: for certain listed processes, OSHA allows a higher engineering-control air limit than the PEL, with the gap made up by respirators.

What OSHA inspectors look for

A compliance officer checks exposure monitoring for cadmium operations such as plating, batteries, and brazing coated metal, verifies engineering controls before respirators, and confirms biological monitoring (blood and urine cadmium, beta-2-microglobulin) and medical removal within the surveillance program. No biological monitoring where cadmium is used is a key finding.

Example: how a violation is cited

A brazing operation on cadmium-coated parts has no biological monitoring, and a worker's kidney markers climb undetected. OSHA cites 1910.1027(l) for the missing medical surveillance and removal protection: the mechanism meant to catch cadmium poisoning early, with penalties from $16,550.

Illustrative example, not a specific OSHA case.

Cadmium (GI) compliance checklist

Use this to evaluate your compliance with 29 CFR 1910.1027. Each item is a key requirement OSHA may verify during an inspection.

Identify cadmium sources (plating, batteries, brazing/welding coated metal, pigments) and monitor worker exposures.
Reduce airborne cadmium to the 5 µg/m³ PEL primarily with engineering and work-practice controls.
Provide medical surveillance, including biological monitoring, for workers at or above the 2.5 µg/m³ action level.
Apply medical removal protection when biological monitoring results exceed the standard's triggers.
Supply protective clothing, change rooms, and hygiene facilities to prevent take-home contamination.
Train workers on cadmium hazards and keep exposure and medical records for employment plus 30 years.

2026 penalties for 29 CFR 1910.1027

Maximums set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d). 2026 amounts unchanged from 2025 (no CPI adjustment; OMB M-26-11). Not an increase. The 2025 OSHA penalty levels remain in effect for 2026; OSHA made no inflation adjustment for 2026. 29 CFR 1903.15 identifies January 15, 2025 as the effective reference for these amounts, while OSHA's public penalties page currently references penalties assessed after Jan. 15, 2026.

Violation type	Minimum	Maximum	When it applies
Serious	$1,085	$16,550	Substantial probability of death or serious physical harm.
Other-Than-Serious	$0	$16,550	Relates to safety/health but unlikely to cause death or serious harm.
Willful	$11,823	$165,514	Intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard of the requirement.
Repeated	$4,256	$165,514	A substantially similar violation cited within the last 5 years.
Failure to Abate	None	$16,550/day	up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6)

Cadmium citations follow health inspections of plating, battery, and brazing operations. Serious violations reach $16,550 and willful or repeat violations $165,514; missing biological monitoring is a common finding.

Maximums and the willful minimum are set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d); the serious and repeated minimums are OSHA policy floors from its annual penalty adjustment memo. OSHA applies gravity-based and size, good-faith and history reductions (FOM CPL 02-00-164 Ch.6). Estimates only, not legal advice.

The business case for Cadmium (GI) compliance

Cadmium accumulates in the body and destroys the kidneys before air monitoring alone would reveal a problem, and it is a lung and prostate carcinogen. That is why the standard measures cadmium in the worker's own blood and urine and removes them from exposure, with pay protected, when the body burden climbs.

Free compliance tools for 29 CFR 1910.1027

Respiratory Protection Program Builder PPE Selector SDS Gap Analyzer

Cadmium (GI) penalties by state

Penalties and enforcement vary by state. State-Plan states may impose higher penalties and additional requirements beyond federal 29 CFR 1910.1027.

Alabama Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia

View all 50 states + DC →

Frequently asked questions about 29 CFR 1910.1027

What is the OSHA cadmium PEL?

Under 1910.1027(c), no employee may be exposed to airborne cadmium above 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour time-weighted average. The standard also sets an action level of 2.5 µg/m³ that triggers exposure monitoring and a medical-surveillance program including biological monitoring.

Why does the cadmium standard require biological monitoring?

Because cadmium accumulates in the body and damages the kidneys before air monitoring alone would reveal a problem. Under 1910.1027, the medical-surveillance program measures cadmium in blood (CDB), cadmium in urine (CDU), and beta-2-microglobulin in urine (B2M) to detect body burden and early kidney effects. These biological results are a compliance trigger in their own right, separate from the air PEL.

What is medical removal protection under the cadmium standard?

Medical removal protection (MRP) temporarily removes a worker from cadmium exposure when biological monitoring shows elevated cadmium or early kidney effects, or a physician recommends it. Under 1910.1027(l), the employer must maintain the removed worker's earnings, seniority, and benefits during removal, so that health-protective removal does not cost the worker their job or pay.

What jobs risk cadmium exposure?

Common sources include electroplating, nickel-cadmium battery manufacturing, brazing or welding cadmium-coated or cadmium-containing metal, producing pigments and plastic stabilizers, and smelting or refining. Because brazing and welding can release cadmium fume from coatings, maintenance and fabrication work can create exposure even where cadmium is not an obvious raw material.

Regulatory history of 29 CFR 1910.1027

OSHA issued the cadmium standard in 1992 (57 FR 42102), replacing the older air-contaminant limit with a comprehensive health standard that added biological monitoring and medical removal protection. Parallel provisions cover construction (1926.1127) and shipyards; the general-industry standard is 1910.1027.

Related glossary terms

Key terms that appear in 29 CFR 1910.1027, each with a full plain-English explainer.

Cadmium Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)Action Level Medical Surveillance Engineering Controls Respiratory Protection Program

Related guides & articles

OSHA Welding Safety Requirements: Construction Guide Workplace Chemical Exposure Limits: PEL vs TLV

Related OSHA standards

29 CFR 1910.1000

Air Contaminants / PELs

29 CFR 1910.1001

Asbestos (GI)

29 CFR 1910.1003

OSHA 13 Carcinogens

29 CFR 1910.1018

Inorganic Arsenic

Primary sources

OSHA figures on this page are imported from HazComFast's verified regulatory module (verified 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register).

This page is an educational summary, not legal advice. OSHA standards and penalty amounts change; confirm requirements against the current regulation and your applicable State-Plan before acting.

Get the Binder in Order Before the Inspector Arrives. Are You Ready?

OSHA does not give advance notice of inspections (29 CFR 1903.6). Get the binder in order before the opening conference, not during it.

Serious Violation

$16,550

per violation (max)

HazComFast Pro

$199/mo

10 jobsites, unlimited chemicals, unlimited workers

Use the free tools View Pricing

New sign-ups are paused. The free tools below need no account, and customers can log in as usual.

Your account keeps working as usual. Cancel anytime.