Serum and urinary vanadium of workers processing vanadium pentoxide.

Serum and urinary vanadium concentrations were investigated in eight men exposed to vanadium pentoxide dust. The creatinine-adjusted urinary vanadium concentrations were found to correlate with serum vanadium concentrations (r = 0.81), but not with the vanadium contents of factory air. The urinary vanadium excretion decreased significantly with the time the workers spent out of exposure. At the beginning of their summer holidays the serum vanadium concentration of the workers was 393 +/- 223 (S.D.) nmol/l and the urinary excretion of vanadium 73 +/- 50 nmol/mmol of creatinine. Three days after exposure the urinary excretion of vanadium was 46 +/- 24 nmol/mmol of creatinine. On the 16th day of their holidays vanadium could be detected in the serum (225 +/- 83 nmol/l) and in the urine (48 +/- 26 nmol/mmol of creatinine) of the workers. Eight family members of the exposed had less vanadium in urine (32 +/- 17 nmol/mmol of creatinine). These results suggest that most of the absorbed vanadium is excreted in the urine within one day after a long-term moderate exposure to vanadium dust.