US EPA

In May 2021, EPA released the draft IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Inhalation 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 transition metal that occurs naturally in Earth’s crust. Fossil fuel combustion is thought to be the major anthropogenic source of vanadium to the atmosphere. The use of heavy oils and bitumen from tar sands and the use of vanadium in industrial applications (e.g., steel production, vanadium redox-flow batteries, and catalytic converters) can contribute to the release of vanadium into the environment.

This is the IRIS Assessment Plan (IAP) for Inhalation Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds. The purpose of this document is for public comment on the initial scoping and problem formulation for this IRIS assessment.

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 Inhalation Exposure to Vanadium and Compounds (Scoping and Problem Formulation Materials). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/635/R-21/077, 2021.