title: Vanadium in ambient air: concentrations in lung tissue from autopsies of Mexico City residents in the 1960s and 1990s.
abstract: Vanadium concentrations in lung tissue were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry from autopsy specimens taken from residents of Mexico City during the 1960s and 1990s (20 males and 19 females, and 30 males and 18 females, respectively). Samples from the 1990s had significantly increased mean vanadium concentrations (mean +/- standard deviation: 1.36 +/- 0.08), compared with those from the 1960s (1.04 +/- 0.05). Concentrations were not correlated with gender, smoking habit, age, cause of death, or occupation. These findings suggest that vanadium in ambient air is increasing and it represents a potential health hazard for Mexico City residents. Air pollution monitoring efforts should include vanadium concentrations in suspended particles to follow-up the findings reported herein. Researchers need to acquire a better knowledge of the levels of airborne vanadium exposure at which risk to human health occurs.
authors.affiliation: Departmento Biología Celular y Tisular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México.
authors.forename: Teresa Imelda
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Fortoul
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quan-Torres
authors.forename: Ivonne
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Irma Elena
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bizarro
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: Liliana Saldivar
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Osorio
authors.forename: Guadalupe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Espejel-Maya
authors.forename: Maria del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Avila-Casado
authors.forename: Maria Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Avila-Costa
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colin-Barenque
authors.forename: Daniel Navarro
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Villanueva
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olaiz-Fernandez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D014639:Vanadium / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D014639:Vanadium