The potential for adverse health effects of using tungsten and its alloys in military munitions are an important concern to both civilians and the US military. The toxicological implications of exposure to tungsten, its alloys, and the soluble tungstate (Na(2)WO(4)) are currently under investigation. To examine tungstate toxicity, a series of experiments to determine its in vitro effects on cells of the immune system were performed. We identified alterations in isolated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) treated in vitro with sodium tungstate (0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mM). Analyses of apoptosis with annexin V and propidium iodide revealed a dose- and time-dependent increase in the quantity of cells in early apoptosis after tungstate exposure. Reductions in the number of cells entering into the cell cycle were also noted. Exposure of PBL to tungstate (1 mM) and Concanavalin A (ConA) for 72 h reduced the number of cells in S and G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle. There were alterations in the numbers of cells in G(0)/G(1), S, and G(2)/M phases of the cell cycle in long-term THP-1 (acute leukemic monocytes) cultures treated with tungstate (0.01, 0.1, 1.0, and 10 mM). Gel electrophoresis, silver staining, and LC-MS/MS showed the cytoplasmic presence of histone H1b and H1d after 72 h of tungstate exposure. The addition of tungstate to cultures resulted in significant reductions in the quantity of interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and IL-6 produced by stimulated [CD3/CD28, ConA, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] and tungstate-treated lymphocytes. Taken together, these data indicate that tungstate increases apoptosis of PBL, alters cell cycle progression, reduces cytokine production, and therefore warrants further investigation.