Automotive Cadmium: Safe at the Plate, Sound as a Pigment

The automotive industry has traditionally capitalized on two of cadmium's qualities:

• The material's ability to plate on other metals, providing a unique array of surface qualities which can only be matched by more costly substitutes.
• The element's propensity to impart striking, long-lasting colors when employed as a pigment.

In recent years, several environmental “scares” have turned some automakers away from cadmium's cost-effective qualities. The Cadmium Council, through research, market development and publicity, is working to reverse the trend. The key messages:

• Cadmium presents no health or environmental threat when handled properly.
• The revitalized use of cadmium would help automakers meet their quality objectives more cost effectively.