The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
(COSHH) Regulations 2002 require your employer to:
• assess the risks to your health and the precautions
needed for your protection;
• prevent you being exposed to beryllium and its
compounds or, where this can not reasonably be
done, adequately control your exposure;
• reduce your exposure to airborne beryllium so far
as is reasonably practicable and, in any case, below
the maximum exposure limit (MEL) assigned for
beryllium and its compounds of 0.002 milligrams
per cubic metre of air, averaged over an 8-hour
period;
• maintain all fume and dust controls in efficient
working order;
• find out how much beryllium you are exposed to,
normally by means of a monitoring programme;
• arrange any health checks that are necessary;
• inform, instruct and train all employees who may
be exposed to beryllium.

The COSHH ACOP (ISBN 0 7176 2534 6) also applies to
beryllium and its compounds. It gives more practical
guidance about how the COSHH Regulations apply to
substances, like beryllium, which may cause cancer.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
• Avoid breathing in dust or fumes.
• Avoid skin contact and splashes in the eyes.
• Use the extraction equipment or other control
measures correctly.
• Report any defects in enclosures, extraction
equipment or other control measures to your
employers.
• Use the protective clothing and equipment
provided.
• Use the washing facilities provided.
• If you have to wear a respirator or face-mask, make
sure:
- it fits properly - and tell your employers if it
doesn’t;
- it has been cleaned before you start work each
day;
- the filter has been changed when necessary;
- you have been trained how to use it.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke in beryllium work areas.

WHAT ABOUT HEALTH CHECKS?
• People working in certain beryllium processes
where significant exposures could occur (for
example, grinding or melting metallic beryllium and
its alloys or handling powders and soluble salts), will
need initial and regular health checks.
• You should co-operate with your employers or
works doctor in these health checks.
• The initial health check aims to pick out people who
have a medical condition which will be made worse
by exposure to beryllium or its compounds.
• At the regular checks, you should report any
breathing difficulties, skin complaints, or other
health problems which you think might be related to
your work.

Beryllium: beryllium alloys are used mostly in applications in aerospace, automobiles, computers, oil and gas drilling equipment, and telecommunications. Beryllium salts are used in fluorescent lamps, in X-ray tubes and as a deoxidizer in bronze metallurgy. Beryl is the source of the gem stones emerald and aquamarine. Sample in photo contains 14 percent beryllium oxide.

Beryllium is a metallic element, with atomic number 4 and atomic weight 9. The metal is hard, silvery-white in color, and very light – less than twice as dense as water, and only two-thirds as dense as aluminum, which it somewhat resembles. Beryllium has a very high melting point at 2349° F (1287° C). The combination of its light weight and high melting point make it valuable for making metal alloys.

Because of the toxic nature of beryllium, careful control over the quantity of dust and fumes in the workplace must be maintained.

A beryl crystal from Africa.
(Beryl crystal drawing Ó 2002 Darryl Powell. Used with permission.)

Name

Beryllium was not known to ancient or medieval civilizations, and was first recognized by the French scientist, Nicholas Louis Vauquelin in 1798. He discovered it as a component of the mineral beryl, and named it beryllium. Metallic beryllium was not isolated until 1828, by Friederich Wˆhler in Germany.

The most common mineral containing beryllium is beryl, a silicate mineral with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Beryl forms distinctive hexagonal prisms, and is found in the igneous rock granite and special igneous rocks, derived from granites, known as pegmatites. Colored, transparent varieties of beryl may be gems, such as emerald (green), aquamarine (blue-green), heliodor (yellow), and morganite (pink). In addition to being found in beryl, beryllium is found in the mineral bertrandite Be4Si2O7(OH)2, which in recent years has become a major ore of this element, in addition to beryl. Bertrandite is found in certain volcanic rocks derived from granite.

Bertrandite ore mined in Utah makes up nearly all of U.S. production, which is about two-thirds of the world supply. Russia produces most of the rest, from beryl ores. Five to ten other countries mine small amounts of beryl. The United States produces and exports large amounts of beryllium alloys and compounds, and thus is a net importer of ores, but a net exporter of finished beryllium products.

Small amounts of beryllium become available from recycling of beryllium-containing scrap

Most beryllium is used in metal alloys, which account for more than 70% of world consumption.

Because beryllium is very light and has a high melting temperature,

Beryllium metal also has the interesting characteristic of being elastic. Consequently, it is used in the manufacture of springs, gears and other machine components that need a degree of elasticity.

Another everyday application is in the manufacture of gasoline pumps, because an alloy of copper and beryllium (beryllium bronze) does not spark when hit against other metals, nor emit sparks from static electricity.

Rods made of beryllium metal and oxide are used to control nuclear reactions, because beryllium absorbs neutrons better than any other metal.

Most organisms do not depend on beryllium for growth.

In fact, beryllium dust and fumes can be dangerous to human health when inhaled.

Consequently, the Clean Air Act demands very careful handling of beryllium dust and fumes to minimize or eliminate its danger to humans.

In some applications, graphite, steel and titanium can be used in place of beryllium.

Is Berylium the real culprit in these two cases?

Berylium a light toxic metal and yet practically the twin sister of Aluminium.

Alchemists were the precursors of modern chemists. In searching for gold they seemed to find everything else. While perhaps not understanding what they found Alchemists in the Middle Ages did discover many compounds and elements. Certainly to my mind one of their greatest achievements was deducing the existance of Beryllium. Why is that so amazing? . They thought everything could be explained by combinations of fire, earth, air, water etc. (sounds a little like up, down, strange, and charm Quarks in mordern physics.) Besides, not really understanding what an element was, two elements Alluminum and Beryllium resemeble each other physically (light grey metals) and chemically. Similar in chemical properties? This is a little strange since Beryllium has the atomic number 4 and Aluminum has the atomic number 11.

They are no where near each other in the periodic table of the elements. The periodic table of elements, may I remind you, is arranged according to « families » in columns. Usually this works quite well, for example; the inert gases all have pretty much the same properties, in short if the element is in the same column as an other element these two elements will generally have the same properties or similar characteristics. This system does not work for Beryllium and Aluminum. This may be due to Alluminum's ability to mimic other elements.(see Aluminum Clusters Exhibit Multiple Personalities) These two metals react in the same way to the other elements even though they are not in the same column.

This means that if you add aluminum something or other to a solution and you get a white parciptate then if you add beryllium something or other to the same solution you again get the same white parciptate. As a matter of fact, there is an uncanny resemblance between Aluminum and Beryllium.This was common knowledge in the beginning of the twentyth century.*1. As far as I know they differ in only one common reaction: when Aluminum Hydroxide (remember that compound?) is in solution and you introduce carbon dioxide a (catalyst) the aluminum particulate out into a grey compound Al (OH)3 . In the same situation Beryllium Hydroxide would remain in the form Be OH and stay in solution .To get the Beryllium out of solution you have to change the ph to 12 (Basic as opposed to acidic) and you get a Be(OH)2 particulate.

Did the ancient alchemists discover this reaction? No they didn’t. Well then how did they differentiate Aluminum which they knew since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans as alum which was used as an astringent and as a preparation for dyeing fabrics, from Beryllium compounds? By taste, you see to them Beryllium compounds especially sulphates taste sweet. By the way, Beryllium is also known as Glucinium or Glucinum from the Greek; glykys: sweet) And it was finally discovered (in oxide form) by Nicolas Louis Vauquelin in 1798.

Please don't try to taste Beryllium compounds for most substances (especially salts) made from Beryllium are poisonous, decidedly so.

A Brief Industrial History of Beryllium Poisoning

During the 1930s, it was discovered that beryllium extended the lifetime of fluorescent light bulbs

"During the following decade, the hard, grayish metal was identified as the cause of a potentially debilitating, sometimes deadly disease characterized by shortness of breath and inflammation, swelling, and scarring of the lungs." HealthAtoZ
In the early days not much care was taken to control Beryllium dust in the factories.

The results were deadly.Many who got Beryllium dust in their lungs died although not all. There may be a genetic factor to this disease as in the cas of Alzhiemer's. At any rate the severity and rapidity of this industrial disease, Chronic Beryllium Disease actually made it easier to believe claims later made for asbestosis.

Today because of its light weight many airplane parts are made from alloys of Beryllium.

Actually Beryllium is everywhere in modern life: from dentestry,electronics, fiber optics,ceramics, bicycle frames, golf clubs, mirrors, to the atomic industry.

So many people have been exposed. Beryllium is a alkaline metals and not found free in nature because it is very reactive.

Humans like other animals on this planet were never exposed to pure Beryllium in nature

Thus they never use it in their biological processes and have not evolved to handle Beryllium or remove it from their bodies. Indeed, Beryllium metal powder is classified as a Class B Poison.

Workers who got Beryllium dust embedded in their skin had to have the skin removed and new skin grafted in its place.This skin irritation , I remembered caused, if left untreated weird bundles and holes in the skin surface. (Sound familiar?). Although, I recently read discriptions results of this skin disease that were more like warts and ulcers. Still you get the picture.

On a final note Berylliosis manifests itself in both acute and chronic forms and can wait twenty or thirty years to appear. A long slow developping disease like Alzhiemer's which is not proof but grounds for furthur or at minium some research

Why Was Berylium Overlooked?

One of the reasons that I have rewritten this piece is that there appears to have been no research done on this topic since 1997 when I first broached this idea. One factor was that my article was written before I was aware of search engines like yahoo and google so I had to rely totally on my memory and frankly I got many details wrong.

Second, it many be that some heretofore common knowledge has been lost and is only just being rediscovered.

I am speaking of course of the resemblance of Alluminum and Beryllium.

I can't be sure but by using Google Scholar I have found no trace of Berylium and Alzhiemer's except in my previous article Alzhiemer's Acid Rain and Alluminum. As you can see in the title even I forgot to mention Beryllium. Some people still think that I wrote about Alluminum. To this day I love short stories written by Edgar Allen Poe or O Henry.
They always saved the best or revealed the secret at the end of the story. However, as I know to my regret, that is not the case with Scientific articles or even web pages.

Up to this point in the article I have invented nothing, this has been common knowledge or maybe arcane knowledge. Now I would like to speculate on this subject. Let’s just take the example of acid rain. No one seems to know the exact mechanism causing the death of those trees. Well, I assume that if acid rain leaches Aluminum out of the soil it would have the same effect on Beryllium.

Remember they are chemical Gemini. Once Beryllium entered the tree the tree would have the same chance as the industrial workers exposed to Beryllium dust, or to phrase it differently no chance.

Now let’s suppose for an instant that the Beryllium is in the form of Be OH. If the tree sensed the excess presence of this compound would you think that the tree might react as it would to too much Al OH and try to remove it from solution?

How would the tree do that? This again is pure speculation but I assume that it would use the simplest method which would be to introduce carbon dioxide into the solution . Of course this would not work on the Beryllium hydroxide but any Aluminum Hydroxide would particulate out. Over time you would end up with increasing amounts of Aluminum deposited in the tree and a small amount of Beryllium Hydroxide constantly circulating in the tree. Ironically this process might take out of system the Aluminum Hydroxide that the tree needs for everyday reactions.

Now it is time to look at Alzheimer’s disease. Perhaps the same thing occurs. I assume that the culprit is minute quantities of Beryllium Hydroxide that is behind the blood brain barrier. I assume that the brain again reacts as if there were too much Aluminum Hydroxide and again tries to particulate out the excess.

Again you would have large deposits of Aluminum. Perhaps as well the Beryllium would unlike the Aluminum Hydroxide cause damage to the brain. Maybe the Beryllium would cause similar bundles and holes in the brain like it does on the skin in its pure state.

This seems to explain everything from acid rain to Alzheimer’s disease. Wait, I could be wrong about Beryllium Hydroxide,

after all it is only a hunch. It could be another Beryllium compound.

But, I think I have made a case for a little study on the matter. It is true that these are nothing but wild guesses on my part. The argument for beryllium and acid rain would seem to be easy to ascertain.

As to Alzheimer’s there are some questions that still puzzle me. It is easy to see that over a long life you could pickup infinitesimally small amounts on Beryllium and when you are sixty or eighty the result would be Alzheimer’s

But there is a problem and that is that children who have mongolism develop Alzheimer’s at forty. However there are indications that Beryllium exposure can alter or cause chromosone damage. (See XXXXXXX)

So I am wrong right? Well if Alzheimer’s were simply genetic then the amount of Aluminum in the water supply would not indicate increased risk for the disease, but it does. Oh well, maybe exposure to Beryllium Hydroxide has some sort of relationship with mongolism?

*1. Unfortunately a major source for this of this paragraph is that chemstry book that I borrowed from the Hyannis Public Library in the 1980s.
I was browsing the library the way we today use the internet. I came accross a chemistry book on the elements. It appearred to be a worn textbook
maybe from the 1950s . I took it home and read it cover to cover. I wish in this age of google that I could remember the name of the book.
Back to the subject, one of the things that struck me was the author's lament over the adoption of the periodic table of elements. This seemed highly
unlikely opinion for a chemistry teacher. The author went on to say that because of the brillance and ease of use of the periodic table that modern science
or at least students and their professors were forgetting many valuable and hard gained charactoristics of the elements. He went on to illustrate with the case of Alluminum and Beryllium that I mentioned in this mongraph.

BEEN STANDIN AROUND SUCKIN ON MY BIG OL`CHILI DOG

Behavior like this is a sure sign of prolonged Beryllium exposure.

This thread has lost it's burst.

Nice try Simplex :(

BEEN STANDIN AROUND SUCKIN ON MY BIG OL`CHILI DOG

My current research focuses on the minerals of boron and beryllium and the role of these two elements in the changes rocks undergo at high temperatures and pressures in the earth's crust, especially in the granulite facies.

More recently, I have developed an interest in phosphate minerals, having discovered three new species in the Larsemann Hills, Prydz Bay , Antarctica . Following the tradition of the late Charles Guidotti, formerly a professor in our department, I describe my research as “petrologic mineralogy” because I study minerals in their petrologic context. Work with light elements requires special techniques so an integral component of my research is analysis for Li, Be and B in minerals with the ion microprobe (secondary ion mass spectrometry). I do these analyses in collaboration with Charles Shearer at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque . My current research activity includes:

Beryllium minerals in sapphirine-quartz granulites and anatectic pods of the ultrahigh-temperature granulite-facies Archean Napier Complex of Enderby Land, Antarctica, based on fieldwork carried out on the 40th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (November, 1998-March, 1999) and on two Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions between 1977 and 1980.

With up to 2700 parts per million weight beryllium, sapphirine is the main carrier of this element in the granulites,

whereas the pods contain a variety of beryllium minerals: the new species khmaralite related to sapphirine, the oxide “musgravite” (technically now magnesiotaaffeite-6N’3S), and the silicate surinamite, which formed from breakdown of sapphirine – khmaralite solid solutions (photographs).

Borosilicate minerals in granulite-facies rocks. My current National Science Foundation supported project is a study of boron-rich paragneisses in the Larsemann Hills based on samples collected on the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 2003-2004 with Chris Carson (Geosciences Australia). The ferromagnesian borosilicates grandidierite and prismatine are major rock-forming minerals in these paragneisses (photograph). Geochemical data on over 50 samples suggests affinities with Broken Hill , Australia , a famous ore deposit. The Larsemann Hills is the type locality for boralsilite, a mineral related to sillimanite I discovered in 1998, which Chris and I found at several localities during the 2003-2004 season (photograph).
Phosphate minerals in granulite-facies metamorphic rocks and and anatectic pods. The Larsemann Hills contains a remarkable variety of phosphate minerals for a metamorphic complex (9 species so far), including 3 of the 4 known polytypes of iron magnesium fluorphosphate wagnerite and 3 new species.

Barbier, J, Grew, E.S., Moore, P.B., Su, S.-C. (1999) Khmaralite, a new beryllium-bearing mineral related to sapphirine: A superstructure resulting from partial ordering of Be, Al and Si on tetrahedral sites. Am. Mineral., 84, 1650-1660

Grew, E.S., Yates, M.G., Shearer, C.K., Hagerty, J.J., Sheraton, J.W., and Sandiford, M. (2006) Beryllium and other trace elements in paragneisses and anatectic veins of the ultrahigh-temperature Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica: The role of sapphirine. Journal of Petrology, 47, 859-882

Asami, A., Suzuki, K. and Grew, E.S. (2002) Chemical Th-U-total Pb dating by electron microprobe analysis of monazite, xenotime and zircon from the Archean Napier Complex, East Antarctica : Evidence for ultra-high-temperature metamorphism at 2400Ma. Precambrian Research, 114, 249-275


Barbier, J., Grew, E.S., Hålenius, E.,Hålenius, U. and Yates, M.G. (2002) The role of Fe and cation order in the crystal chemistry of surinamite, (Mg,Fe2+)3(Al,Fe3+)3O[AlBeSi3O15]: A crystal structure, Mössbauer spectroscopic, and optical spectroscopic study. Am. Mineral., 87, 501-513


Christy, A.G., Tabira, Y., Hölscher, A., Grew, E. S., and Schreyer, W. (2002) Synthesis of beryllian sapphirine in the system MgO-BeO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O and comparison with naturally occurring beryllian sapphirine and khmaralite. Part 1: Experiments, TEM and XRD. American Mineralogist, v. 87, p. 1104-1112.

Sphaerobertrandite, Be3SiO4(OH)2
: new data, crystal structure and genesis Igor V. PEKOV1,*, Nikita V. CHUKANOV2, Alf Olav LARSEN3, Stefano MERLINO4, Marco PASERO4, Dmitriy Yu. PUSHCHAROVSKY1, Gabriella IVALDI5, Alexander E. ZADOV6, Viktor G. GRISHIN1, Arne ÅSHEIM3, Johan TAFTØ7 and Nina I. CHISTYAKOVA8

1 Faculty of Geology, Moscow State University, Vorobievy Gory, 119899 Moscow, Russia
2 Institute of Chemical Physics Problems, 142432 Chernogolovka, Moscow Oblast, Russia
3 Norsk Hydro ASA, Research Centre Porsgrunn, P. O. Box 2560, N-3907 Porsgrunn, Norway
4 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Pisa, v. S. Maria 53, I-56126 Pisa, Italy
5 Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, I-10125 Torino, Italy
6 NPO Regenerator, Skladochnaya ul. 6, 127018 Moscow, Russia
7 Department of Physics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1032 Blindern, N-0315 Oslo, Norway
8 All-Russian Institute of Mineral Resources, Staromonetnyi per. 31, 109017 Moscow, Russia

* Corresponding author, e-mail: igorpekov@mtu-net.ru

The insufficiently studied beryllium silicate sphaerobertrandite has been known since 1957. The present work presents new findings, verifies that the mineral is a valid species with a unique structure. The original name sphaerobertrandite has been kept in spite of its unjustifiable connection to bertrandite. The mineral is named after the typical spherulitic morphology of its aggregates, and its similarity to bertrandite in the main chemical constituents. Sphaerobertrandite was recently found in alkaline pegmatites at Sengischorr Mountain, Lovozero massif, Kola peninsula, Russia, inside epididymite segregations, coexisting with eudidymite, aegirine, mangan-neptunite, etc., and in Tuften quarry, Tvedalen, South Norway, coexisting with hambergite, analcime, chiavennite, etc. The mineral forms spherulites up to 2 mm, as well as fibrous crusts. Sphaerobertrandite from Sengischorr Mountain occurs as thin tabular, prismatic crystals up to 0.5 x 0.2 x 0.05 mm in aggregates overgrowing epididymite. The main crystal form is {001}, small faces {012}, {102} and {10–2} are present. Transparent to translucent; colourless, white, yellow, brownish, greyish, beige. Streak white. Lustre vitreous. Mohs' hardness 5. Brittle. Cleavage perfect on (001). D (meas.) is 2.46 - 2.54, D (calc.) is 2.52 g/cm3. Biaxial, negative, = 1.597(3), ß = 1.607(4), = 1.616(3), 2V (meas) is 70(±20)° Orientation: Z = c. IR spectrum is unique; frequencies of absorption bands are (cm–1; sh — shoulder, w — weak; the most intensive bands are underlined): 3605, 3540, 3505, 3370sh, 3250sh, 3060w, 1620sh, 1400sh, 1150, 1115, 1090sh, 995sh, 933, 900, 835, 768, 721, 680sh, 639, 612, 573w, 555w, 491, 424, 410sh. Chemical composition of the sample from Sengischorr Mountain is: BeO 45.88, SiO2 38.46, H2O+ 12.54, total 96.88 wt. %, corresponding to Be2.97Si1.03O4.06(OH)1.94· 0.155H2O. Monoclinic, P21/c, with a = 5.081(3), b = 4.639(1), c = 17.664(9) Å, ß= 106.09(5)°, V = 400.0 Å3, with a strongly pseudo-orthorhombic cell, which is the likely reason for the samples being invariably twinned by pseudo-merohedry. The strongest lines in the X-ray powder pattern are (d in Å -I[hkl]): 4.885–90[100]; 4.236–62[004]; 3.161–100[111, 11–3]; 2.836–70[104]; 2.538–55[20–2]; 2.318–90[020]; 2.174–55[10–8]. The crystal structure has been refined to R = 0.090. Better refinement could not be achieved because of twinning by pseudo-merohedry with low obliquity, which produces partial overlapping of reflections. The structure consists of mixed framework formed by Be- and Si-tetrahedra which comprises 6- and 4- membered rings. All vertices of SiO4 tetrahedra are shared with 2 BeO4 tetrahedra. The OH anions are shared only between two Be tetrahedra. The structure contains Be(3)O3 chains screwed around 21 axis and reinforced by SiO4 tetrahedra. These (Be, Si, O) chains are linked by the dimers Be(2)2O6 and by Be(1)O4 tetrahedra.



Key-words: sphaerobertrandite, beryllium silicate, crystal structure, alkaline rocks, Lovozero, Kola peninsula, Tvedalen, Norway.

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,

To provide a forum where anyone around the country or the world can obtain information or provide information they have experienced as a result of this disease.
To provide current and historical information on studies and papers relating to this disease.
To provide current and historical information relating to the health risks of using beryllium.

To provide current and historical information relating to regulations governing the use and control of beryllium.

Lists known Beryllium Support Groups and contacts for becoming a part of them

Beryllium is a hard, grayish metal naturally found in mineral rocks, coal, soil, and volcanic dust.

Beryllium compounds are commercially mined, and the beryllium is purified for use in nuclear weapons and reactors, aircraft and space vehicle structures, instruments, x-ray machines, and mirrors

Beryllium ores are used to make speciality ceramics for electrical and high-technology applications.

Beryllium alloys are used in automobiles, computers, sports equipment (golf clubs and bicycle frames), and dental bridges.

An essential component of nuclear weapons and reactors, aircraft, and space vehicle structures, it ... appears in instruments, x-ray machines, mirrors, electrical elements, and a host of high-tech gadgets. Beryllium alloys are prized for their light weight and easy workability. They can be found in cars, computers, dental bridges, and sports equipment like golf clubs and bicycle frames.

Beryllium crystallizes in the hexagonal close packed structure

Beryllium metal is available commercially and so would never normally be made in the laboratory.

Its extraction from ores is complex. The mineral beryl, [Be3Al2(SiO3)6] is the most important source of beryllium.