VANADIUM
Because of the lack of details in the reference study and the scarcity of data available on
vanadium pentoxide, low confidence is assigned to both the study and the database
In a subchronic feeding study (Mountain et al., 1953), groups of five male Wistar rats were fed vanadium
pentoxide at levels of 0, 25, or 50 ppm for 35 days, after which dietary levels of vanadium were increased to 100
and 150 ppm and continued for 68 days. There was a decrease in the amount of cystine in the hair of the
high-dosed (50-150 ppm or 2.5-7.5 mg/kg/day, based on food consumption of 5% bw) rats. A significant decrease
was also reported in erythrocyte and hemoglobin levels of the high-dosed rats. In an abstract of a subchronic
inhalation study (Suguira, 1978), mice and rats exposed to 1 to 3 mg/cu.m vanadium pentoxide for 3 months, 6
hours/day developed histopathologic changes in their lungs and had a decrease in growth rate. Adverse effects
were not detected in either species similarly exposed at 0.1 to 0.4 mg/cu.m.
Although several epidemiologic studies have been conducted on factory workers exposed to vanadium pentoxide
for several years, the air concentration levels of vanadium pentoxide were measured only at scattered intervals,
making it impossible to determine a minimum effective dose. Also, in cases of humans exposed to relatively high
atmospheric concentrations of vanadium pentoxide for short periods of time, all individuals developed respiratory
symptoms that usually subsided within 7-14 days.
http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/subst/0125.htm