Chemical Listed Effective February 11, 2005 as Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer: Vanadium Pentoxide

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency is adding vanadium pentoxide (orthorhombic crystalline form) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Health and Safety Code section 25249.5 et seq., Proposition 65). The listing of the chemical is effective February 11, 2005.

Vanadium pentoxide (orthorhombic crystalline form) (CAS No. 1314-62-1) is listed as a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer. The listing of this chemical is based on a formal identification by an authoritative body (i.e., the National Toxicology Program [“NTP”]) that the chemical causes cancer. Regulations governing the listing of chemicals under the “authoritative bodies” mechanism are published in Title 22, Cal. Code of Regs. Section 12306.

The reader is directed to the Notice of Intent to List vanadium pentoxide published in the July 16, 2004, issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register (Register No. 2004, No. 29-Z) for the documentation supporting OEHHA’s determination that the criteria for administrative listing have been satisfied for this chemical. The documentation was developed to explain the basis for listing this chemical via the authoritative bodies provision of Proposition 65. OEHHA analyses of dose-response data to establish the no significant risk level (NSRL) for this chemical under Proposition 65 have not been conducted. The priority status of the development of an NSRL for vanadium pentoxide (orthorhombic crystalline form) will be announced in a future OEHHA Proposition 65 Status Report for Safe Harbor Levels.

A complete, updated Proposition 65 list is published elsewhere in this issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register.

The following table outlines the addition of vanadium pentoxide (orthorhombic crystalline form) to the Proposition 65 chemical list as known to the State to cause cancer:

Listing mechanism:
AB – “authoritative bodies” mechanism (Title 22, Cal. Code of Regs. section 12306)