Cumulative Incidence of Chronic Beryllium Disease in a Ceramics Factory Cohort

Details

• Personal Author:
  Deubner, David C. ; Henneberger, Paul K. ; Kitt M ; Kreiss, Kathleen ; McCanlies E ; Schuler C
• Description:
  Beryllium, widely used in the aerospace, nuclear, ceramics, and telecommunications industries, can cause sensitization and chronic beryllium disease (CBD) through occupational exposure. We identified 136 beryllium workers first screened for sensitization in 1992 with the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT). At that time, eight (5.9%) of 136 were found to be sensitized, of whom six (4.4%) had developed CBD. We followed this cohort through 2002 to determine its cumulative incidence of disease. We attempted to determine current health status for each of the 136 workers. Sensitization was defined as a confirmed abnormal BeLPT, and CBD as lung granulomas on transbronchial biopsy in a sensitized worker. Cumulative incidences of sensitization and disease were calculated. Follow-up status was determined for 115 (85%) of the cohort. By 2002, 24 (17.6%) of the 136 workers were known to be sensitized, of whom 17 (12.5%) had developed CBD. Additionally, 16 (12.5%) of 128 workers who had a negative BeLPT in 1992 were known to be sensitized by 2002, of whom 11 (8.6%) had developed CBD. The cumulative burden of sensitization and disease in this cohort is about three times greater than that found in the 1992 study. Continued surveillance with the BeLPT, and clinical evaluation of sensitized individuals, will be critical to understanding the full burden of disease in this cohort and in establishing industry surveillance policy. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerospace Medicine Beryllium Ceramics Hypersensitivity Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerospace-industry Beryllium-compounds Ceramics-industry Diseases Factory-workers Occupational-exposure Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Sensitization Surveillance-programs
• Publisher:
  American Public Health Association
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DRDS - Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20024008
• Citation:
  APHA 131st Annual Meeting and Exposition, San Francisco, California, November 15-19, 2003. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 2003 Nov; :59721
• Contact Point Address:
  Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale, Morgantown, WV 26505
• CAS Registry Number:
  Beryllium (CAS RN 7440-41-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  APHA 131st Annual Meeting and Exposition, San Francisco, California, November 15-19, 2003
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e02585884b991bceac7d2f8af8be5656d0a2b2d5938a0c21708ecc0d5f272162a04f01158793c45ac6a9f6b84227e3cff57501168af8f7614308b7e69276b4dd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/196031/cdc_196031_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.91 MB ]