US EPA

In July 2020, EPA released the draft IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds for public review and comment. An IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) communicates to the public the plan for assessing each individual chemical and includes summary information on the IRIS Program’s scoping and initial problem formulation; objectives and specific aims for the assessment; the PECO (Populations, Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes) criteria that outlines the evidence considered most pertinent to the assessment; and identification of key areas of scientific complexity. The PECO provides the framework for developing literature search strategies and inclusion/exclusion criteria, particularly with respect to evidence stream (i.e., human, animal, mechanistic), exposure and outcome measures. The IAP serves to inform the subsequent development of the chemical specific systematic review protocol.

Vanadium is a naturally occurring metal that is the 22nd most abundant element in the earth’s crust and is found in a variety of minerals and nearly all coal and petroleum crude oils. Oral exposure to vanadium may occur naturally (e.g., foods) or anthropogenically via contamination of soil, surface waters, or groundwater.

This document presents a draft assessment plan for vanadium and compounds (oral exposure) that will be the subject of a peer review meeting in 20/21 and that will define the scope and approach of the IRIS assessment for vanadium and compounds (oral exposure).

Following the public (webinar) meeting, the IRIS Program will use the IAP to inform the subsequent development of a chemical-specific systematic review protocol.

U.S. EPA. IRIS Assessment Plan for Oral Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds (Scoping and Problem Formulation Materials). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-20/112, 2020.