Risk of Beryllium Sensitization in a Low-Exposed Former Nuclear Weapons Cohort from the Cold War Era

Details

• Personal Author:
  Fuortes LJ ; Hartley PG ; Leonard SA ; Mikulski MA ; Sanderson, Wayne T. ; Sprince NL
• Description:
  Background: The nuclear weapons industry has long been known as a source of beryllium exposure. Methods: A total of 1,004 former workers from a nuclear weapons assembly site in the Midwest were screened for sensitization to beryllium (BeS). The screenings were part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Former Worker Program established in 1996. Results: Twenty-three (2.3%) workers were found sensitized to beryllium and this prevalence was comparable to other DOE sites. Occasional, direct exposure to beryllium through machining and grinding of copper-beryllium (Cu-Be) 2% alloy tools was found to increase the risk of sensitization compared to background exposure (OR = 3.83; 95% CI: 1.04-14.03) with a statistically significant trend (P = 0.03) revealing that particular jobs are associated with sensitization. Exposure potential in this study was estimated based on job titles and not personal exposure information. Conclusions: These results confirm the need to screen workers using beryllium alloy tools in other industries and for consideration of altering work practices. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Beryllium Blood Copper Hypersensitivity Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Alloys Author Keywords: Beryllium Beryllium Compounds Beryllium Disease Beryllium Exposure Assessment Beryllium Sensitization Clinical Tests Copper Compounds Employee Exposure Exposure Assessment Former Worker Program Humans Job Analysis Lymphocytes Medical Screening Medical Screenings Munitions Industry Nuclear Energy Nuclear Properties Risk Factors Sensitization Tools Worker Health Work Practices

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Iowa ; Kentucky ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 7
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  194-204
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20062563
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2011 Mar; 54(3):194-204
• Contact Point Address:
  Marek A.Mikulski, The University of Iowa, 2213 Westlawn, Iowa City, IA 52242
• Email:
  marek-mikulski@uiowa.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Beryllium (CAS RN 7440-41-7) ; Copper (CAS RN 7440-50-8)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of Iowa
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:68933bcc1980ba39a342409ae7daaf1f5434f2f781eb3f13ca669dc1d4b1816266dea9b3a0f03513691bb508936ba1bbf57248f262c851eead957a08fa1022d0
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225781/cdc_225781_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 116.07 KB ]