Ultrafine Beryllium Number Concentration as a Possible Metric for Chronic Beryllium Disease Risk

Details

• Personal Author:
  Berakis, Michael ; Kent MS ; McCawley MA
• Description:
  Beryllium is a lightweight metal which causes a chronic granulomatous lung disease among workers who become sensitized to it. Recent research has shown a persistence of the disease despite efforts at control with mean exposures below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) occupational exposure limit of 2 microg/m3. Results of our current research confirm a previous finding in certain plants that particle number concentrations are higher in areas where historical estimate of risk showed a high risk of disease despite relatively lower mass concentrations. By providing side-by-side measurements of both particle number and mass, this research adds support to the proposal that particle number rather than particle mass may be more reflective of target organ dose and subsequently a more appropriate measure of exposure for chronic beryllium disease. Our evidence also shows that particle mass exposure measurements and particle number exposure measurements were not correlated. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Beryllium Hypersensitivity Lung Diseases Metals Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory Tract Diseases Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Beryllium Beryllium-compounds Beryllium-disease Beryllium Sensitization Chronic Beryllium Disease Diseases Exposure-levels Exposure-limits Lung-disease Lung Deposition Nanotechnology Occupational-exposure Particle Size Pulmonary-system-disorders Respiratory-system-disorders Risk-analysis Risk-factors Sensitization Ultrafine Aerosol

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• ISSN:
  1047-322X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• 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
• Volume:
  16
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20021810
• Citation:
  Appl Occup Environ Hyg 2001 May; 16(5):631-638
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael A. McCawley, Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, West Virginia
• CAS Registry Number:
  Beryllium (CAS RN 7440-41-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2001
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cac8bc7428e81a41df3d37d6957a5814d3750321ad532da84162042b8e8a740c951cd8c0009ac0e0e7fca7265759aaa8aab21a978e4aa65d0009e2a01c6130ca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/198913/cdc_198913_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 300.19 KB ]