The most common CdTe solar cells consist of a p-n heterojunction structure containing a p-doped CdTe layer matched with an n-doped cadmium sulfide (CdS) or magnesium zinc oxide (MZO) window layer. Typical CdTe thin-film deposition techniques include vapor-transport deposition and close-spaced sublimation.
Cadmium Poisoning 
Can solar panels cause cancer? #
It was the introduction of doping agents that allowed solar power to become a viable means of producing energy. But it was also the use of these doping agents that greatly changed the effects solar panels have on our body. All doping agents used in the manufacturing of solar panels are toxic, the most popular of these being cadmium telluride.
Cadmium telluride has specific chemical properties that make it especially hazardous to all life residing near solar power plants. One of the most dangerous characteristics posed by cadmium telluride is that when the substance is exposed to high temperatures it transitions from a solid into a highly carcinogenic vaporous gas that will cause permanent lung damage when exposed to life forms. Considering that gas vapors can travel several hundred feet, this means that when a fire does break out at a solar power facility all residents within that particular area will need to be evacuated to prevent them from exposure to the toxic substance.
This is merely one negative aspect of incorporating cadmium into the production of solar panels. At one time cadmium was listed as the sixth most toxic substance known to man. Not only is cadmium carcinogenic, but it causes early onset osteoporosis and physical deformities that are genetically passed down from the parent into the child. The above picture is an example of these physical deformities that come with cadmium poisoning.
What makes cadmium so problematic for the human body is that cadmium poisoning is a form of heavy metal poisoning. With all other forms of heavy metal poisoning, the human body does not have the necessary functions to purge it from the system. Thus the cadmium resides in the body and wreaks havoc on the various systems of the human body.
There is little doubt, exposure to cadmium can cause cancer. Solar panels contain cadmium and solar panels seep toxins that include cadmium. Therefore, solar panels are correlated with causing cancer.
