Introduction to Beryllium: Uses, Regulatory History, and Disease

Abstract

Beryllium is an ubiquitous element in the environment, and it has many commercial applications. Because of its strength, electrical and thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and nuclear properties, beryllium products are used in the aerospace, automotive, energy, medical, and electronics industries. What eventually came to be known as chronic beryllium disease (CBD) was first identified in the 1940s, when a cluster of cases was observed in workers from the fluorescent light industry. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission recommended the first 8-hour occupational exposure limit (OEL) for beryllium of 2.0 microg/m3 in 1949, which was later reviewed and accepted by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the vast majority of countries and standard-setting bodies worldwide. The 2.0 microg/m3 standard has been in use by the beryllium industry for more than 50 years and has been considered adequate to protect workers against clinical CBD. Recently, improved diagnostic techniques, including immunological testing and safer bronchoscopy, have enhanced our ability to identify subclinical CBD cases that would have formerly remained unidentified. Some recent epidemiological studies have suggested that some workers may develop CBD at exposures less than 2.0 microg/m3. ACGIH is currently reevaluating the adequacy of the current 2.0 microg/m3 guideline, and a plethora of research initiatives are under way to provide a better understanding of the cause of CBD. The research is focusing on the risk factors and exposure metrics that could be associated with CBD, as well as on efforts to better characterize the natural history of CBD. There is growing evidence that particle size and chemical form may be important factors that influence the risk of developing CBD. These research efforts are expected to provide data that will help identify a scientifically based OEL that will protect workers against CBD.

Optical Properties of ZnO Alloys

“…BeO has a hexagonal phase, so may not suffer the same phase segregation issue as MgZnO compounds. While beryllium and beryllium oxide naturally occur in nature, there is a well-documented health concern that people can become sensitized to beryllium and develop chronic beryllium disease [46]. Thus there are exposure regulations for processes where beryllium or beryllium oxide dust is formed and inhaled, but in solid form beryllium is widely used in many applications.…”

Performance of the beryllium blood lymphocyte proliferation test based on a long-term occupational surveillance program

“…Sensitization in some individuals that are not occupationally exposed to beryllium might be expected because it is ubiquitous in nature, is present in common materials such as tobacco or coal, and is used in some dental applications (Kolanz 2001;ACGIH 2002;ATSDR 2002), and data suggestive of a background prevalence of sensitization in people with no known occupational or incidental exposure to beryllium have been reported in multiple studies. In a study of United States Department of Energy beryllium facilities, 1.5% (7/458) of workers with no known exposure yielded single positive BeBLPT results (Stange et al 2004); however, none of those initial positive results were conWrmed based on the repeat testing protocol utilized in that study of a single blood draw tested at two labs.…”

“…An update of the Japanese facility studied by Yoshida covering the period 1992 to 2005 found positive BeBLPT results in 4/350 (1.1%) newly hired workers (NGK Metals, personal communication 2006). In addition, analytical laboratories performing BeBLPT assays have reported a baseline level of positive results of approximately 1% among the control population they determined to be unexposed for purposes of calculating their stimulation index value for deWning normal versus abnormal results (Kolanz 2001). In an occupational study that utilized the beryllium skin patch test, a positive rate of 3.8% was observed in 420 workers with no known exposure to beryllium (Shima 1966).…”

Impact of negatively charged patches on the surface of MHC class II antigen-presenting proteins on risk of chronic beryllium disease

“…Beryllium is a strong lightweight metal with unique properties that make it ideal for myriad technological uses in pure metal form, as oxide ceramics and in various alloys (Kolanz 2001;Taylor et al 2003). It has applications in, but is not limited to, the aerospace, automobile, biomedical, defence, electronics, fire prevention and telecommunications industries.…”