Cytotoxic and clastogenic activity of CdCl2 in human lymphocytes from different donors

•Impact of CdCl2 in human lymphocytes from different donors was investigated.•A complex of methods was used.•An individual sensitivity to CdCl2 was obtained.•The susceptibility to CdCl2 did not depend on age and sex.

The sensitivity of human lymphocytes from different donors to CdCl2 using a complex of methods for determination of cytotoxicity and genotoxicity was studied. As endpoints for cytotoxicity the mitotic index (MI) and apoptosis were evaluated. To indicate genotoxicity chromosome aberrations test (CA) was used. The results indicate an individual sensitivity of lymphocytes to CdCl2-induced damage, which is directly depending on the concentration (10−6, 10−5, 5 × 10−5, 10−4 mol/l) applied. The assessment of the toxic and genotoxic effect using various endpoints allows more complete risk estimation for organisms exposed to heavy metals. The results have direct practical significance for threat evaluation in humans.