Workers with advanced CBD may have one or more of the following symptoms: unexplained cough; shortness of breath, especially with activity; fatigue; weight loss or loss of appetite; fever; or night sweats. However, because the disease may develop slowly over a period of many years, workers may have the disease for a long time without knowing it.

Beryllium Sensitization

CBD only develops in workers who have become sensitized to beryllium. A sensitized worker is one who has developed an allergic reaction to beryllium. A worker may become sensitized at any point during job exposure, or in some cases may not become sensitized until after leaving a job where there has been beryllium exposure. Beryllium sensitization can be detected through the use of a blood test called the BeLPT, which stands for beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test. This test measures how specific white blood cells called lymphocytes react to beryllium. A positive test result means that a worker is sensitized.

Acute Beryllium Disease

Acute beryllium disease usually has a quick onset and has symptoms that resemble those of pneumonia or bronchitis. The acute form of the disease is believed to occur as a result of exposures well above the current PEL. This form of beryllium disease is now rare.

Cancer

Studies of workers exposed to beryllium have demonstrated significantly elevated risks of lung cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the expert cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has concluded that exposure to beryllium can cause lung cancer in humans.

Skin disease

A skin disease, which is characterized by poor wound healing and a rash or wart-like bumps, can occur as a result of the skin being exposed to beryllium dust.

Recommendations

OSHA recommends the following measures to reduce exposure to beryllium in the workplace and to determine whether workers have beryllium sensitization or CBD.

1. Engineering Controls

Employers should use appropriate engineering controls and work practices to ensure that worker exposures to beryllium are maintained below the current OSHA PELs to the extent feasible. The following engineering controls and practices should be used by employers:

* enclose processes;

* design and install appropriate local exhaust ventilation;