Cadmium is one of the most harmful chemical elements which adversely affect the environment. Technological development in this century has resulted in a rapid increase in cadmium content in the surface layer of Earth’s crust, waters and air. Cadmium is listed as one of the most toxic elements to the environment. The author discusses the forms of this element in nature and various types of cadmium poisoning; she also stresses that data on daily cadmium intake in Poland are very disturbing.