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THE SIMPLE FACTSTM...Beryllium is a hard, grayish metal naturally found in mineral rocks, coal, soil, and volcanic dust. Beryllium compounds are commercially mined, and then purified so it can be made suitable for many industrial uses, including:
- metal working (pure beryllium, copper and aluminum alloys, jet brake pads, aerospace components)
- ceramic manufacturing (semi-conductor chips, ignition modules, crucibles, jet engine blades, rocket covers)
- electronic applications (transistors, heat sinks, x-ray windows)
- atomic energy applications (heat shields, nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons)
- laboratory work (research and development, metallurgy, chemistry)
- extraction (ore and scrap metal)
- dental alloys (crowns, bridges, dental plates)
- sporting goods (golf clubs, bicycle frames)
Beryllium can be harmful if you breathe it. The effects depend on how much you are exposed to and for how long. If beryllium air levels are high enough, an acute condition can result. This condition resembles pneumonia and is called acute beryllium disease. Long term exposure to beryllium can increase the risk of developing lung cancer in people. If you work in one of the above noted industries with the mentioned products, you may be at risk for beryllium exposure.
U.S. EPA and Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have determined that beryllium is a human carcinogen. The EPA has determined that beryllium is a probable human carcinogen. EPA has estimated that lifetime exposure to beryllium can result in a one in a thousand chance of developing cancer.
Health Effects From Beryllium Exposure
Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) primarily affects the lungs. CBD may occur among people who are exposed to the dust or fumes from beryllium metal, metal oxides, alloys, ceramics or salts. It occurs when people inhale beryllium in these forms. CBD usually has a very slow onset, and can take up to 30 or 40 years to develop. However, because the disease may develop slowly over a period of many years, workers may have the disease for a long time without knowing it.
In some cases, CBD develops while workers are still on the job, but in others it may not develop until many years after a person has stopped working in the beryllium industry, or has been transferred to a job that does not involve beryllium exposure.
Workers with advanced CBD may have one or more of the following symptoms:
- unexplained cough
- shortness of breath
- fatigue
- weight loss or loss of appetite
- fever;
- night sweats
- difficulty in breathing
- right side heart enlargement
- heart disease in advanced cases
Some people who are sensitized to beryllium may not have any symptoms.
Other Types of Beryllium Health Problems
- Beryllium Sensitization : CBD only develops in workers who have become sensitized to beryllium. A sensitized worker is one who has developed an allergic reaction to beryllium. Beryllium sensitization can be detected through the use of a blood test called the BeLPT, which stands for beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test. This test measures how specific white blood cells called lymphocytes react to beryllium.
- Acute Beryllium Disease : Acute beryllium disease usually has a quick onset and has symptoms that resemble those of pneumonia or bronchitis. This form of beryllium disease is now rare.
- Cancer : Studies of workers exposed to beryllium have demonstrated significantly elevated risks of lung cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the expert cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has concluded that exposure to beryllium can cause lung cancer in humans.
- Skin disease : A skin disease, which is characterized by poor wound healing and a rash or wart-like bumps, can occur as a result of the skin being exposed to beryllium dust.
If you do not have any of the above symptoms but are concerned that you may have become sensitized to beryllium, you should inform your health care professional that you would like to be tested with the blood BeLPT. Another blood test, the blood beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), identifies beryllium sensitization and has predictive value for CBD.
Quite frankly, the simple factsTM about the Beryllium and the possible injuries - Chronic Beryllium disease, Cancer and other problems - associated with exposure to Beryllium are unacceptable.
We are here to help you protect your legal rights and the legal rights of your loved ones.
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