Ultrafine Beryllium Number Concentration as a Possible Metric for Chronic Beryllium Disease Risk

McCawley, Michael; Kent, Michael S.; Berakis, M.

doi:10.1080/104732201750169778

Cited by 23 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…To date, the high-risk processes in primary beryllium metal production have shown particle number concentrations in the submicron size range that are orders of magnitude higher than those found in lower-risk processes in the same facility (39). Distinguishing characteristics of machining aerosols in metal machining are limited (24).…”

Section: Physicochemical Determinants Of Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beryllium: A Modern Industrial Hazard

Kreiss

Day²,

Schuler³

2007

Annu. Rev. Public Health

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Beryllium exposure can cause a granulomatous lung disease in workers who develop a lymphocyte-mediated sensitization to the metal. Workers in diverse industries are at risk because beryllium's properties are critical to nuclear, aerospace, telecommunications, electronic, metal alloy, biomedical, and semiconductor industries. The occupational air concentration standard's failure to protect beryllium workers is driving many scientific and occupational health advances. These developments include study of bioavailability of different physicochemical forms of beryllium, medical surveillance to show effectiveness of skin protection in preventing sensitization in high-risk processes, gene-environment interaction, transgenic mice for use in experimental research, and risk-based management of industrial exposures in the absence of effective exposure-response information. Beryllium sensitization and disease prevention are paradigms for much broader public health action in both occupational and general population settings.

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Section: Physicochemical Determinants Of Riskmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beryllium: A Modern Industrial Hazard

Kreiss

Day²,

Schuler³

2007

Annu. Rev. Public Health

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“…For example, persons living near a beryllium plant also contracted the disease to a certain extent from environmental pollution at exposure levels several orders of magnitude lower than experienced by the workers. Particle number rather than particle mass may be more reflective of target organ dose [78]. The amount of beryllium to which a person has been exposed can be determined by measuring the urinary beryllium concentration [55,[79][80][81][82][83][84].…”

Section: R Klein Et Almentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostic relevance of the lymphocyte transformation test for sensitization to beryllium and other metals (IUPAC Technical Report)

Klein¹,

Schwenk²,

Heinrich‐Ramm³

et al. 2004

Pure and Applied Chemistry

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The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) has been proven useful especially in the diagnosis of drug-induced allergic disorders. It is an in vitro test which is based on the fact that lymphocytes, which have been sensitized by a certain antigen, transform into blasts and proliferate when they are again exposed to this antigen. This proliferation is determined by measurement of the incorporation of [3H ]-thymidine or bromodeoxyuridine into replicating DNA. The test has the advantage over skin tests of avoiding re-exposure of individuals, and it was, therefore, hoped that it may also help to diagnose metal allergies and especially sensitization toward beryllium. However, the LTT measures only the sensitization of lymphocytes, but not the effector reaction, i.e., there may be positive results in exposed individuals even in the absence of clinical symptoms. There are several reports evaluating the LTT toward gold salts (Au), amalgam (Hg), nickel (Ni), beryllium (Be), and several other metals. With metals other than Be, the LTT appears to be of little use. In contrast, the LTT with Be may, indeed, define patients at risk of developing chronic beryllium disease (CBD), which affects mainly the respiratory tract and may even cause death. Beryllium sensitization progresses to CBD at a rate of 7-11 % per year. Since the Be-LTT can detect sensitization in workers who have not yet developed a disease it is an important diagnostic tool to detect individuals at risk. In conclusion, the LTT can detect a cell-mediated immunological response of an individual to metals. However, for most metals its usefulness is questionable, with the exception of Be; a positive Be-LTT can identify not only patients with CBD, but also persons at risk of developing CBD in later years.

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“…Industrial hygiene studies demonstrated that disease prevalence correlates with beryllium ultrafine particle counts, not with beryllium mass measurements (Martyny et al 2000;McCawley et al 2001). Epidemiologic analyses showed that beryllium workers with the highest rates of disease are those involved in machining and grinding, tasks that generate significant amounts of dust (Kreiss et al 1996(Kreiss et al , 1997.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin as a route of exposure and sensitization in chronic beryllium disease.

Tinkle

Antonini

Rich

et al. 2003

Environ Health Perspect

426

244

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Chronic beryllium disease is an occupational lung disease that begins as a cell-mediated immune response to beryllium. Although respiratory and engineering controls have significantly decreased occupational beryllium exposures over the last decade, the rate of beryllium sensitization has not declined. We hypothesized that skin exposure to beryllium particles would provide an alternative route for sensitization to this metal. We employed optical scanning laser confocal microscopy and size-selected fluorospheres to demonstrate that 0.5- and 1.0- micro m particles, in conjunction with motion, as at the wrist, penetrate the stratum corneum of human skin and reach the epidermis and, occasionally, the dermis. The cutaneous immune response to chemical sensitizers is initiated in the skin, matures in the local lymph node (LN), and releases hapten-specific T cells into the peripheral blood. Topical application of beryllium to C3H mice generated beryllium-specific sensitization that was documented by peripheral blood and LN beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests (BeLPT) and by changes in LN T-cell activation markers, increased expression of CD44, and decreased CD62L. In a sensitization-challenge treatment paradigm, epicutaneous beryllium increased murine ear thickness following chemical challenge. These data are consistent with development of a hapten-specific, cell-mediated immune response following topical application of beryllium and suggest a mechanistic link between the persistent rate of beryllium worker sensitization and skin exposure to fine and ultrafine beryllium particles.

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Ultrafine Beryllium Number Concentration as a Possible Metric for Chronic Beryllium Disease Risk

Cited by 23 publications

References 10 publications

Beryllium: A Modern Industrial Hazard

Beryllium: A Modern Industrial Hazard

Diagnostic relevance of the lymphocyte transformation test for sensitization to beryllium and other metals (IUPAC Technical Report)

Skin as a route of exposure and sensitization in chronic beryllium disease.

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