* Communicating Beryllium Health Risks: Training Materials. Department of Energy (DOE), (2002, April), 1.05 MB PDF, 160 pages. These training materials have been designed for use by any DOE site that conducts training on the health risks of beryllium.

* Beryllium Awareness. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) (2000). The goal of this course is to make you aware of the presence and health risks of beryllium metal used at LLNL and other Department of Energy (DOE) sites.

* Beryllium Research Highlights. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Provides information on completed studies, current research findings, and future activities to the participants in NIOSH beryllium research in newsletter format.

* Brochures. OSHA. As part of an internal employee outreach program, OSHA developed a series of brochures to help its staff understand the health effects of beryllium and the Agency's internal pilot medical monitoring program.

Consumer Factsheet on: BERYLLIUM

List of Contaminants

As part of the Drinking Water and Health pages, this fact sheet is part of a larger publication:

National Primary Drinking Water Regulations

This is a factsheet about a chemical that may be found in some public or private drinking water supplies. It may cause health problems if found in amounts greater than the health standard set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What is Beryllium and how is it used?

Beryllium is a metal found in natural deposits as ores containing other elements, and in some precious stones such as emeralds and aquamarine. The greatest use of beryllium is in making metal alloys for nuclear reactors and the aerospace industry.

Why is Beryllium being regulated?

In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires EPA to determine safe levels of chemicals in drinking water which do or may cause health problems These non-enforceable levels, based solely on possible health risks and exposure, are called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals.

The MCLG for beryllium has been set at 4 parts per billion (ppb) because EPA believes this level of protection would not cause any of the potential health problems described below.

Based on this MCLG, EPA has set an enforceable standard called a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as possible, considering the ability of public water systems to detect and remove contaminants using suitable treatment technologies.