Controlling the exposure to beryllium can be done through engineering controls, administrative actions, and personal protective equipment (PPE). Engineering controls include such things as isolating the source and using ventilation systems to control dust. Administrative actions include limiting the worker's exposure time and providing showers. PPE includes wearing the proper respiratory protection and clothing. The following resources contain information to help control beryllium hazards in the workplace.

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The fourth lightest element, beryllium is stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum.

Beryllium is used to make components for the electronic and telecommunications industries, and to a lesser extent, aerospace and nuclear weapons parts.

This web site was formally launched on March 12, 1996 by Michael Jackson a member of the Beryllium Support Group which meets monthly at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, Colorado. The intent is to provide a platform where any other Beryllium Support Group regardless of affiliation or location can freely participate in the presentation of or transfer of information relating to this incurable disease

be·ryl·li·um (bə-rĭl'ē-əm)
n. (Symbol Be)
A high-melting, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, rigid, steel-gray metallic element used as an aerospace structural material, as a moderator and reflector in nuclear reactors, and in a copper alloy used for springs, electrical contacts, and nonsparking tools. Atomic number 4; atomic weight 9.0122; melting point 1,278°C; boiling point 2,970°C; specific gravity 1.848; valence 2.

Beryllium is used as an alloying agent in producing beryllium copper, which is extensively used for springs, electrical contacts, spot-welding electrodes, and non-sparking tools. It is applied as a structural material for high-speed aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and communication satellites. Other uses include windshield frame, brake discs, support beams, and other structural components of the space shuttle.

Because beryllium is relatively transparent to X-rays, ultra-thin Be-foil is finding use in X-ray lithography for reproduction of micro-miniature integrated circuits.

Beryllium is used in nuclear reactors as a reflector or moderator for it has a low thermal neutron absorption cross section.

Beryllium is used in nuclear reactors as a reflector or moderator for it has a low thermal neutron absorption cross section.

It is used in gyroscopes, computer parts, and instruments where lightness, stiffness, and dimensional stability are required. The oxide has a very high melting point and is also used in nuclear work and ceramic applications.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Aug. 22, 2002 -- Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, seeking to better understand the pathology of Chronic Beryllium Disease are studying the fundamental properties of metal interaction with carboxylate molecules, carbon/oxygen structures that are common in the body, to better understand how metals, specifically beryllium in water solution, might attack human cells.

The latest research into beryllium carboxylates will be the subject of a talk by Erik Brady, a post-doc in Los Alamos’ Chemistry Division, Actinide, Catalysis and Separations group, at the 2002 American Chemical Society meeting in Boston, Aug. 22 at 2:10 p.m. in room 310 of the Boston Convention Center.

Beryllium is a silver-gray, nonradioactive metal that is extremely light and very stable. It is lighter than aluminum, yet one and a half times stiffer than steel. Beryllium is used in satellite guidance systems, spacecraft, optical instruments, nuclear reactors and golf clubs. At Los Alamos, beryllium is used in nuclear weapons research and stockpile stewardship.

In certain individuals, breathing tiny beryllium particles, 10 microns or less in size (.000254 inches), can lead to Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD). CBD is a long-duration, allergic-type lung response that can make the sufferer abnormally weak; it is sometimes fatal. There are no immediate symptoms of CBD and the disease can progress for years without being noticed. When they do occur, the symptoms of CBD include persistent cough, breathing difficulty, chest pain, fatigue and weight loss

Little is known about the pathology of beryllium in the body, why certain people are susceptible to CBD and others are not and how beryllium uptake works at the cellular level.

We’re looking at a subset of carboxylate groups called acetates, such as acetic acid, a common component of household vinegar and of amino-acids in the body, because they are plentiful and readily bond with metals,” said Brady. “We are searching for a better understanding of what happens in the body when there is uptake of beryllium, and we think these carboxylate groups are a prime site for beryllium to get into a cell.