Approximately 35 micrograms of beryllium is found in the average human body, an amount not considered harmful.
[107] Beryllium is chemically similar to
magnesium and therefore can displace it from
enzymes, which causes them to malfunction.
[107] Because Be2+ is a highly charged and small ion, it can easily get into many tissues and cells, where it specifically targets cell nuclei, inhibiting many enzymes, including those used for synthesizing DNA. Its toxicity is exacerbated by the fact that the body has no means to control beryllium levels, and once inside the body the beryllium cannot be removed.
[108] Chronic
berylliosis is a
pulmonary and
systemic granulomatous disease caused by inhalation of dust or fumes contaminated with beryllium; either large amounts over a short time or small amounts over a long time can lead to this ailment. Symptoms of the disease can take up to five years to develop; about a third of patients with it die and the survivors are left disabled.
[107] The
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists beryllium and beryllium compounds as
Category 1 carcinogens.
[109] In the US, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has designated a
permissible exposure limit (PEL) in the workplace with a time-weighted average (TWA) 2 µg/m3 and a constant exposure limit of 5 µg/m3 over 30 minutes, with a maximum peak limit of 25 µg/m3. The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set a
recommended exposure limit (REL) of constant 500 ng/m3. The
IDLH (immediately dangerous to life and health) value is 4 mg/m3.
[110]
The toxicity of finely divided beryllium (dust or powder, mainly encountered in industrial settings where beryllium is produced or machined) is very well-documented. Solid beryllium metal does not carry the same hazards as airborne inhaled dust, but any hazard associated with physical contact is poorly documented. Workers handling finished beryllium pieces are routinely advised to handle them with gloves, both as a precaution and because many if not most applications of beryllium cannot tolerate residue of skin contact such as fingerprints.
Acute beryllium disease in the form of
chemical pneumonitis was first reported in Europe in 1933 and in the United States in 1943. A survey found that about 5% of workers in plants manufacturing
fluorescent lamps in 1949 in the United States had beryllium-related lung diseases.
[111] Chronic berylliosis resembles
sarcoidosis in many respects, and the
differential diagnosis is often difficult. It killed some early workers in nuclear weapons design, such as
Herbert L. Anderson.
[112]
Beryllium may be found in coal slag. When the slag is formulated into an abrasive agent for blasting paint and rust from hard surfaces, the beryllium can become airborne and become a source of exposure.
[113]
Early researchers tasted beryllium and its various compounds for sweetness in order to verify its presence. Modern diagnostic equipment no longer necessitates this highly risky procedure and no attempt should be made to ingest this highly toxic substance.
[6] Beryllium and its compounds should be handled with great care and special precautions must be taken when carrying out any activity which could result in the release of beryllium dust (
lung cancer is a possible result of prolonged exposure to beryllium-laden dust). Although the use of beryllium compounds in fluorescent lighting tubes was discontinued in 1949, potential for exposure to beryllium exists in the nuclear and aerospace industries and in the refining of beryllium metal and melting of beryllium-containing alloys, the manufacturing of electronic devices, and the handling of other beryllium-containing material.
[114]
A successful test for beryllium in air and on surfaces has been recently developed and published as an international voluntary consensus standard ASTM D7202. The procedure uses dilute
ammonium bifluoride for dissolution and fluorescence detection with beryllium bound to sulfonated hydroxybenzoquinoline, allowing up to 100 times more sensitive detection than the recommended limit for beryllium concentration in the workplace. Fluorescence increases with increasing beryllium concentration. The new procedure has been successfully tested on a variety of surfaces and is effective for the dissolution and ultratrace detection of refractory beryllium oxide and siliceous beryllium (ASTM D7458).
[115][116]
