Vanadium

Abstract

Vanadium is a rare element used in ferrous metallurgy as an alloy additive in various types of steel. Vanadium is also used in non-ferrous metals important for the atomic energy industry, aircraft construction, and space technology, and as a catalyst in the chemical production of sulfuric acid and plastics. This book evaluates over 450 studies in an effort to clarify the risks to human health and the environment posed by the discharge of vanadium during production, use and disposal. Environmental pollution is noted to be greatest in the vicinity of power- and heat-producing plants using fossil fuels. Studies indicating possible beneficial effects of various vanadium-containing therapeutic diets are also critically reviewed. The most extensive sections evaluate investigations of toxic effects in experimental animals and in man, including the results of therapeutic exposures, controlled studies, and case reports of occupational poisoning. Although a variety of physiological and biochemical processes have been found to be vanadium sensitive, the book concludes that all studies reporting an association between vanadium and disease suffer from serious methodological flaws. The need for further research is stressed