Wild animals in studies on vanadium bioaccumulation - Potential animal models of environmental vanadium contamination: A comprehensive overview with a Polish accent

Highlights: • V tends to increase with age in certain tissues of marine mammals. • Keratinized tissues are useful indicators of the internal tissue V concentrations. • Sentinels for environmental V contamination and human health problems are suggested. • V level limits for animals that may be a source of exposure for man should be established. • Studies on the mechanisms of transport and tissue V accumulation are required. The presence of contaminants, including metals, in the environment is known to pose a threat to both the health and life of organisms. Vanadium (V), whose numerous adverse effects have been well documented, is a widespread element on our planet. It is released into the environment from both natural and anthropogenic sources. This comprehensive report reviews studies on the levels of V in wild animals collected from different parts of the world and from certain regions of Poland, and indicates the sources of contamination of habitats where the animals were sampled. The current paper also provides an overview of the V distribution in wildlife and aims at summarizing the age- and sex-related differences, which are important for assessment of the different patterns of V bioaccumulation between male and female individuals and between juveniles and adult specimens. The report also collects data on the timeline to show the degree of interest in studies on V accumulation in wildlife and summarizes indicators of internal tissue V contents. Potential animal models for monitoring environmental V pollution and bioindicators of human health problems associated with the exposure to this metal are reviewed as well. This is a very important issue especially in the context of the growing environmental pollution with V and its role in contamination-related health risks. The overview of the knowledge on V bioaccumulation in wild animals presented in the current report may encourage further detailed analyses in this field.