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.

Brady is using the technologies of Raman spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography to conduct his studies. There are plans for future work with infrared spectroscopy.

Brady’s initial results include the surprising finding that beryllium does not lose it’s solid structure when in solution. It had been theorized that, much like mercury, another metal that is toxic to humans, the structure of beryllium would change in water solution, thus making it more bio-available. ‘This is not the case with beryllium,” said Brady. “The solution and solid structures are about the same; it maintains its form and doesn’t break down under certain conditions.”

“It’s clear that beryllium-cellular transport is not a straightforward process. So we’re hoping that by keeping the molecules simple and using a variety of investigative technologies we can learn the beryllium carboxylate behavior, draw conclusions about beryllium’s behavior in vivo and then supply that data to the biologists who will work to develop protocols that one day could prevent or better treat CBD,” said Brady.

So far Brady has seen specific changes in the spectrum of beryllium in solution under Raman spectroscopy, which he theorizes could lead to better and faster detection methods. “A spin-off of this work could be the development of better detection technologies, which currently consist of swipes and chemical analyses, “ he said.

In the future, Brady hopes to work with more complicated tri-carboxylates and organo-phosphates to understand the functions of the body in relation to beryllium exposure. “We want to take a fundamental look at how beryllium behaves, how it gets to the lungs and how the dose is administered across cell membranes.”

The Beryllium Health and Safety Committee (BHSC) is comprised of medical and operations personnel involved with beryllium processing issues across the Department of Energy complex. The BHSC is committed to the accumulation and dissemination of information concerning beryllium processes best work practices, as well as data from health studies concerning the hazards associated with beryllium

Beryllium Levels - in Colorado -
All Sample Types

Vauquelin discovered beryllium in 1797 as a constituent of the mineral beryl. Aquamarine and emerald are the most popular varieties of this mineral. In the French language the element is referred to as glucinium. This name is derived from the sweetish taste of many of its compounds.

The first metallic beryllium was produced by Wohler and Bussy in 1828. They obtained beryllium in the form of an impure powder by reducing beryllium chloride with metallic potassium.

Of particular interest is the work of the French scientist Lebeau, published in 1899, which includes descriptions of the electrolysis of sodium-beryllium fluoride resulting in the production of small, hexagonal beryllium crystals, and the preparation of beryllium-copper alloys by direct reduction of beryllium oxide with carbon in the presence of copper. Also of interest is the work by the German scientist Oesterheld who, in 1916, published the equilibrium diagrams of beryllium with copper, aluminum, silver and iron.

1955 - construction of Beryllium metal cast production started

1973 - Beryllium under pressure processing site commissioned
(Building 602)

1990 - accident at the Beryllium production (Building 662). Full
conservation of the Beryllium production started

2000 - Beryllium metal production started-up
Quality assurance system at the Beryllium production was
certified in accordance with ISO-9002

2001 - Hydrometallurgy production for technical grade (BeOH)2 restored
Creation of Beryllium Copper production.

Minimum influence on the environment is the feature of the production activities of the "Ulba Metallurgical Plant" JSC. Apparatus available at the basic processes allow the maximum extraction of Uranium, Beryllium, Tantalum and Niobium and the limitation of their intrusion into the environment. High extent of noxious substances utilization within the production process is one of the achievements of design and process staff of "Ulba Metallurgical Plant" JSC.

The use of the advanced process, state-of-the-art equipment and automated control systems allows to monitor the production processes and when necessary to correct the automatic performance avoiding the contact of the person with the product.

Off-dust and off-gas mixtures formed during the production cycles are cleaned out in the special multiple duplicate dust and gas cleaning facilities. They are based on the use of Petrianov's fabrics. Noxious substances exhausted into the atmosphere are significantly less than the allowable standards and they do not practically have any negative influence on the environment.

Beryllium production of the "Ulba Metallurgical Plant" JSC is one of the three enterprises in the world with full production cycle from ore concentrate processing to finished products output with the rated quality set-ups.
Process line developed at the facility allows to convert almost any beryllium containing raw material.
Unique process equipment available at the facility allows to produce wide range of products on Be and its alloys base. Hydro-Static and Gas-Static pressing facilities provide for the production of items with isotropic properties.

Over 50 year experience of the "UMP's" Beryllium production activities, highly qualified staff allow to manufacture products both in compliance with the requirements of traditional customers and with that of the potential customers for Beryllium products. Taking into account swift development of the electronics, communication, automobile, petroleum and gas industries, our facility is active in entering the world market of Beryllium copper and its products with its own products.

During the last four years more than US$ 4 million was invested into the implementation and development of new processes for less cost and more effective techniques of Beryllium production.
Quality assurance system existing at the Beryllium metal and Be master alloys production is certified in accordance with ISO 9001:2000. Today Beryllium master alloys produced at the "Ulba Metallurgical Plant" JSC have the quality level exceeding that of the world analogues.

B-1 Grade

Beryllium content: 99,5 wt. %, min

В-2 Grade

Beryllium content: 99,0 wt. %, min

With the advent of in vitro immunologic testing, we can now detect exposed individuals who are sensitized to beryllium and those who have chronic beryllium disease (CBD) with lung pathology and impairment. Earlier detection and more accurate diagnostic tools raise new questions about the natural history of sensitization and granulomatous disease. Preliminary data suggest that early detection identifies people who are sensitized to beryllium and that these individuals are at risk for progressing into clinical disease. This article discusses the historical, recent, and ongoing studies germane to our understanding of CBD natural history, including the immunologic and inflammatory basis of the disease, the environmental and host risk factors for disease progression, biological markers of disease severity and activity that may help predict outcome, and the implications for broad-based workplace screening to identify patients at the earliest stages of beryllium sensitization and disease.

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 Ž rst identiŽ ed in the
1940s, when a cluster of cases was observed in workers from
the � uorescent light industry. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
recommended the Ž rst 8-hour occupational exposure
limit (OEL) for beryllium of 2.0 ¹g/m3 in 1949, which
was later reviewed and accepted by the America

Keywords Beryllium, Industrial Hygiene, Occupational Exposure
Limit, Occupational Medicine, Chronic Beryllium Disease,
Beryllium Sensitization, Toxicology

Beryllium was not known to have presented a health hazard
until it was used for industrial purposes.

Chronic beryllium disease
(CBD) was Ž rst associated with occupational exposure to
beryllium in the 1940s when a cluster of cases was observed
in workers from the � uorescent light industry.

Occupational
exposure limits (OELs) for beryllium have been applied in the
occupational environment for more than 50 years and have been
used in U.S. regulations for nearly 30 years. The efŽ cacy of the
current beryllium standard of 2.0 ¹g/m3 has been questioned
as a result of recent epidemiological studies that suggest some
workers may developCBDat exposures less than 2.0¹g/m3.(2¡4)
This article presents a review of (1) the occurrence in nature and
industrial uses of beryllium, (2) the regulatory history of beryllium,
(3) the historical and current understanding of the etiology
of CBD, and (4) current and future research initiatives that are
intended to characterize the risk factors associated with CBD.

NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC BERYLLIUM

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Beryllium spheres are useful in interstellar propulsion.

Just ask Commander Taggert.

Beryllium is considered a delicacy in Taiwan where it is often combined with both hot and iced tea.

Good
 

Hello still not inderstand 'why' can you make it more clear?

Beryllium Final Rule

Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention