The Beryllium Thread

[Simplex3]

I'm putting this in here so that it won't hang around the top of the lounge while I cut and paste information in to post after post.

This is part of my ongoing offseaon attempt to get us ranked on the first page of some search engine(s) when nerds search for "beryllium".

Before you PM me with "Why?", the answer is simply that I am sitting around reading log files at work and cutting and pasting into this thread requires absolutely NO mental stress.

[KurtCobain]

Beryllium and its unique characteristic led to it being used widely in a variety of industries prior to is know toxic effects. Today it is know that beryllium is a highly toxic material which results in devastating toxic effects on the lungs. There has been drastic increases in the regulation in beryllium use so as to protect those that directly handle and work with the metal. With theses regulations, beryllium is fairly safe to work with and use in a variety of products and industries. In the following text, there will be a description of beryllium confusing history and toxic effects on the respiratory system of man.

[KurtCobain]

Beryllium has the symbol Be. In the older chemical literature, beryllium is called glucinium after the Greek word glykys meaning sweet, because of Vauquelin's initial description and observation of Beryllium. Beryllium's atomic number is 4, its atomic weight is 9.01 and in its pure metal form it melts at 1278 degrees Celsius.

[KurtCobain]

The Beryllium element, an alkaline earth metal which belongs to group II of the periodic table, was first discovered in 1798 by L.M. Vauquelin. Vauquelin,a French chemist, was doing work with aluminum and noticed a white powder that was nothing like that of aluminum or any of its derivatives. Vauquelin named this mystery powder, gluinium because of its sweet taste was like that of glucose. In 1828, Wohler, a German metallurgist reduced it to its metallic form and renamed it beryllium.(figure 2)

[KurtCobain]

There was no commercial application of beryllium until 1918 when Cooper patented a beryllium-aluminum alloy, which turn into the 'jump-start', into extending beryllium's application.

[KurtCobain]

Beryllium

[KurtCobain]

Introduction

[KurtCobain]

Contents

Standards
Hazard Recognition
Exposure Evaluation
Possible Solutions
Additional Information
Credits

[KurtCobain]

Beryllium, atomic number 4, is a brittle, steel-gray metal found as a component of coal, oil, certain rock minerals, volcanic dust, and soil.

[KurtCobain]

Elemental beryllium is the second lightest of all metals and is used in a wide variety of applications. In its elemental form beryllium exhibits the unique properties of being light weight and extremely stiff, giving the metal several applications in the aerospace, nuclear, and manufacturing industries.

[KurtCobain]

In addition, beryllium is amazingly versatile as a metal alloy where it is used in dental appliances, golf clubs, non-sparking tools, wheel chairs, and electronic devices.

Exposures to beryllium are addressed in specific standards for general industry.

[KurtCobain]

Standards

[KurtCobain]

This section highlights requirements related to beryllium, including OSHA standards, Federal Registers (rules, proposed rules, and notices), the Unified Agenda (a list of actions being taken with regard to OSHA standards) and other agency standards.

[KurtCobain]

Note: Twenty-five states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have OSHA-approved State Plans and have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. For the most part, these States adopt standards that are identical to Federal OSHA. However, some States have adopted different standards applicable to this topic or may have different enforcement policies.

[KurtCobain]

OSHA
General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
1910 Subpart Z, Toxic and hazardous substances [related topic page]
1910.1000, Air contaminants
Table Z-1, Limits for air contaminants
Table Z-2
1910.1200, Hazard communication [related topic page]

[KurtCobain]

Federal Registers
Occupational Exposure to Beryllium; Request for Information. Notice 67:70707-70712, (2002, November 26). OSHA requests information and comment on issues related to occupational exposure to beryllium, including current employee exposures to beryllium; the relationship between exposure to beryllium and the development of adverse health effects; exposure assessment and monitoring methods; exposure control methods; employee training; medical surveillance for adverse health effects related to beryllium exposure; and other pertinent subjects. The information received in response to this document will assist the Agency in determining an appropriate course of action regarding occupational beryllium exposure.
Search all available Federal Registers.