Health effects of environmental exposure to vanadium; toxicology of vanadium in mammals; mutagencity, carcinogenicity and the teratogenicity of vanadium; vanadium exposure tests in humans - hair, nails, blood, and urine; baseline vanadium levels in human blood, serum and urine; vanadium and metabolic problems; vanadium and its significance in animal cell metabolism; hematological effects of vanadium in living organisms; genetic toxicology of vanadium compounds; vanadium and cardiovascular system - regulatory effects and toxicity; effects of vanadate in adrenal gland of mammals; oxidative stress and pro-oxidant biological effects of vanadium; endocrine control of vanadium accumulation; antidiabetic action of vanadium complexes in animals - blood glucose normalizing effect, organ distribution of vanadium and mechanisms for insulin-mimetic action; vanadium detoxification; vanadium - a new tool for cancer prevention - recent progress and future opportunities.