Odor Odorless

Boiling Point 2970 Deg C

Melting Point 1287 DEG C

Molecular Weight 9.0121

Density 1.85 at 20 deg C

Sensitivity Data Soluble beryllium salts are directly irritating to skin and mucous membranes.

Chemical and

Physical Properties

HEAT CAPACITY AT CONSTANT PRESSURE: (30 DEG C) 0.437 CAL/G/DEG C; LATENT HEAT OF FUSION: 3.5 KCAL/MOL; BRINELL HARDNESS: 60-125; HAS HIGH PERMEABILITY TO X-RAYS; ANISOTROPIC; CHEMICAL PROPERTIES SIMILAR TO ALUMINUM; METAL RESISTANT TO ATTACK BY ACID DUE TO FORMATION OF A THIN OXIDE FILM. DUCTILITY IS SUFFICIENT AT 1000 DEG C TO PERMIT BERYLLIUM TO BE SWAGED; REACTS WITH OTHER ELEMENTS ONLY AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES: AT 700 DEG C OXIDATION IS NOTICEABLE, AT 1000 DEG C, RAPID

Environmental Impact

The influence of aerosol suspension from clothing on personal monitor exposure estimates was investigated in a beryllium facility. Samples of 100% cotton and 100% Nomex fabrics used at the beryllium facility were tested. The deposition of airborne beryllium into fabrics was significantly enchanced by electrostatic attraction on cotton but not on Nomex fabrics. Both fabrics collected more beryllium in motion than on stationary units. Personal monitors mounted in front of fabrics collected more beryllium when the fabrics were agitated than when monitors were placed in the positions of the nose and mouth. The air concentrations increased as fabric load increased, but leveled off at high fabric load concentrations. Resuspension from cotton was higher than from Nomex. Ressupension of aerosol from garments can cause erroneously high exposure measurements from chest mounted personal monitors. Workshirts worn by employees at a beryllium refinery resuspended beryllium containing dust. The old shirts resuspended significantly higher quantities of beryllium to the air than did the washed and unwashed new shirts. A considerable fraction of the Be measured in air was respirable. Fourteen dental casting alloys were analyzed for release of nickel and beryllium into acidic salivary soln in vitro. Corrosion rates at varying pH levels and time in soln were calc over a 120 day period and the possible significance of these rates to allergic reactions or other health hazards were postulated. When the beryllium levels were analyzed for these alloys they were much higher than expected. In each of the alloys, since the nickel cmpd was often 66-78% of the cmpd and the beryllium level a max of 2%, the differences in magnitude of nickel vs beryllium concn might be expected to be on the order of 30/1 or greater. The differences were closer to 8/1. Nickel and beryllium containing dental casting alloys have the potential to be a significant hazard to the lab technician, dentist and patient.

Environmental Fate

ESTIMATES OF ABUNDANCE IN EARTH'S CRUST VARY FROM 2 TO 10 PPM. NATURAL ISOTOPES: 9 (100%); RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES (MASS NUMBERS): 6-8; 10-12. FOUND IN PHENACITE, CHRYSOBERYL PRECIOUS FORMS OF BERYL: EMERALD, AQUAMARINE. Beryllium is concentrated in silicate minerals relative to sulfides. In common crystalline rocks, the element is enriched in the feldspar minerals relative to ferromagnesium minerals and apparently replace the silicon ion; 85-95% of the total crystal beryllium may be bound in the feldspar structures. The greatest known concentrations of beryllium are found in certain pegmatite bodies, where crystals of beryl account for a few percent of the total pegmatite volume, and may be found in several of the strata of zoned dykes. The element is sometimes concentrated in hydrothermal veins, and some granitic rocks contain sufficient amounts to permit the crystallization of small amounts of beryl. CERTAIN FOSSIL FUELS CONTAIN BERYLLIUM CMPD, ACCOUNTING FOR THE PRESENCE OF BERYLLIUM IN SOME COMMUNITY AIR SAMPLES AND TISSUES OF CITY RESIDENTS. Ceramic artists can be exposed to many hazardous materials, generally related to dry clays, glazes and kiln use. Glazes can contain lead, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, chromium, cobalt, cadmium, copper, vanadium and other materials which all have potential toxic effects. Beryllium enters the environment principally from coal combustion. Be contents in the ashes from a Czechoslovakian power plant were determined (coarse (> 20 mm) and fine (2.0 to 0.2 mm) fraction from dump, and fine (0.2 mm) fraction from electrostatic precipitators). Acidic and alkali aqueous extracts of these ashes contained various concentrations of Be (1 to 17% of total concentrations). Wastewater showned 3.15 and 3.4 ug Be/l. Thus, secondary long term beryllium pollution emerges from the slag and ash dumps. Soil concn generally range from 0.1-40 ppm, with the average around 6 ppm. Beryllium concentrations (dry weight) of 0.08 mg/kg in polished rice, 0.12 mg/kg in toasted bread, 0.17 mg/kg in potatoes, 0.24 mg/kg in tomatoes, and 0.33 mg/kg in head lettuce. Beryllium levels (ppm in ash) for different foodstuffs were: beans, 0.01; cabbage, 0.05; hen eggs (yolk) 0.01; milk, 0.02; mushrooms, 0.12; nuts, 0.01- 0.47; tomatos, 0.02; and baker's yeast, 0.02. In birch, aspen and willow beryllium content may rise as high as 3 mg/kg. Potatoes contain 0.17 mg/kg dry substance, tomatoes 0.24 mg/kg and head lettuce 0.33 mg/kg. Beryllium in root, stem, and leaf tissues of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L Md-609) plants grown in McMurtrey's nutrient solution with addition of 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/l Be were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis using m/l 246 of beryllium trifluoroacetylacetonate chelates. The method was sensitive to about 4 pg of Be. The majority of Be was associated with tobacco roots (0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/l of Be were added to the solution were associated with 374, 427 and 4280 ug Be/g dry wt of tissue, respectively; leaves were associated with 2.14, 2.36 and 81.4 ug Be/g dry wt tissue respectively. ACCORDING TO STUDIES ON COWS WITH RADIOACTIVE BERYLLIUM, LESS THAN 0.002% OF INJECTED ACTIVITY WAS RECOVERED IN MILK. BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE IN MILK WAS 19 HR. Beryllium level reported in milk, 0.02 ppm in ash. FOOD NOT SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF HUMAN EXPOSURE NO EVIDENCE THAT BERYLLIUM IS MOVING FROM SOILS INTO FOOD OR FEED PLANTS IN AMOUNTS DETRIMENTAL. Humans: total body burden: 36 ug Beryllium; 24 ug Beryllium in soft tissue. Humans: Kidney; 0.2 ug beryllium/kg: liver; 1.6 ug beryllium/kg: muscle; 0.75 ug beryllium/kg: bone; 3.0 ug beryllium/kg: hair; 6.0-20.0 ug beryllium/kg Human: blood: 0.01 ug beryllium/l Humans: lung: 1x10 2 to 1x10 5 ug beryllium/l: blood: 0.02-3.0 ug beryllium/l: urine: 0.02-3.0 ug beryllium. The soft tissue burden of an adult is likely to be less than 20 ug and the skeletal burden about 30 ug.

Drinking Water

Impact