Vanadium

Heavy metal

A metal in fuel-combustion residue, steel alloys, and some particulate.

Where it comes from in service

Fuel and oil combustion residue, boiler and engine work, and inhaled particulate.

How it harms the body

Inhaled vanadium is an airway irritant linked to bronchitis-type symptoms.

How long it stays in you

Cleared over days to weeks.

Where it goes — tap an organ to go deeper

Lungs →Kidney →

What the government already links to it

ATSDR links inhaled vanadium to respiratory irritation.

If it goes unaddressed

Mostly an airway-irritant concern with ongoing inhalation.

What to ask your clinician about

•Pulmonary function testing if symptomatic

Bring this to your clinician and your VSO — they decide what testing and care, if any, is right for you. For general, whole-person ways to support your body, see Whole health.

Sources: ATSDR ToxFAQs: Vanadium. Drafted from the government's and science's own record — VA presumptive lists (PACT Act, 38 CFR, Camp Lejeune), ATSDR ToxFAQs, IARC, and NTP. Sources are cited on every page, and this library has not yet been reviewed by a named clinician or toxicologist. This is documentation to bring to your clinician and VSO — not a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a determination of service connection. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.