Cadmium is used in the production of fertilizers and batteries and currently pops up in a negative way as a water pollutant. Scientists of the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center and the LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) have investigated whether concentrations of this substance that are generally deemed realistic in nature can cause germ-line mutations in multicellular organisms. Such changes in the genetic material of cells are long-term consequences with an extensive reach, since they are inheritable. Contrary to this, concentrations of a substance that are toxic primarily affect the single organism that is directly exposed to the substance.