SERUM AND URINARY VANADIUM OF VANADIUM-EXPOSED WORKERS

In this investigation, the environment of vanadium workers was studied. It was found that low concentrations of vanadium (0.01-0.04 mg/m3) in the air do not correlate with vanadium serum levels or its urinary excretion. The results, however, suggest that values of vanadium in serum and urine samples reflect absorption of vanadium because vanadium could not be detected in the urine of referents. In higher vanadium exposure (0.2-0.5 mg/m3), the concentration in the air inhaled remaining unknown due to the use of dust masks, urinary vanadium excretion and serum vanadium level decreased significantly with exposure-free time.