France, March 25 -- Anses, France's food safety agency, said on Wednesday that the population was experiencing "strong and increasing" exposure to cadmium, mainly through food.

It described the situation as "concerning" and said it required action that was "rapid and determined" to limit harmful effects on human health.

"Nearly half of the adult population [47.6 percent] exceeds the toxicological reference values," Geraldine Carne, a toxicologist and coordinator of the report, told a press conference.

The findings come from a two-year study that, for the first time, sets out the scale and nature of cadmium exposure in France. The metal is present in soils, builds up in the body and is not easily removed.

Cadmium is classified as carci...