Vanadium and its inorganic compounds – Addendum: withdrawal of the EKA and evaluation of a BAR
Assessment Values in Biological Material – Translation of the German version from 2023
Dirk Walter1Hans Drexler2 (Head of the working group “Assessment Values in Biological Material” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
Andrea Hartwig3 (Chair of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
MAK Commission4
1 Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Institute and Outpatients' Clinic for Occupational and Social Medicine, Aulweg 129, 35392 Gießen, Germany
2 Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Institute and Outpatient Clinic of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Henkestraße 9–11, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
3 Institute of Applied Biosciences, Department of Food Chemistry and Toxicology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Adenauerring 20a, Building 50.41, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
4 Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Kennedyallee 40, 53175 Bonn, Germany
Abstract
In 2022, the German Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area re-evaluated vanadium [7440-62-2] and its inorganic compounds. The former classification in Carcinogen Category 2 was changed to Category 4 and a maximum concentration at the workplace (MAK value) of 0.005 mg vanadium/m3 for the inhalable fraction (I) was established. With regard to the high concentrations covered by the exposure equivalents for carcinogenic substances (EKA) compared to the exposure limit in air and due to uncertainties in the underlying study, the EKA are no longer valid. Therefore, the EKA are withdrawn and a biological tolerance value (BAT value) cannot be established. Based on the 95th percentile of the urinary vanadium excretion in studies with occupationally unexposed persons, a biological reference value (BAR) of 0.15 µg vanadium/l urine was derived.
