Workers at Former Florida Plant Exposed to Beryllium

TALLEVAST, FL — July 2, 2004 — Workers at a former manufacturing plant were exposed to high levels of beryllium when they made components for nuclear weapons and the aerospace industry, according to an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. From 1961 until it closed in 1996, the American Beryllium Company facility in Tallevast operated 24 hours a day. When the plant was sold to Lockheed Martin, scrapings from its walls and ceilings yielded very high beryllium readings, well over currently accepted standards, the newspaper said.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspected the plant between 1975 and 1982, imposed some minor fines, and then never inspected the facility again. Although American Beryllium took air samples to test for beryllium, it did not forward the results to OSHA.

Dr. Lee Newman, a pulmonologist and noted beryllium researcher at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, recalls visiting the Tallevast plant in the 1980s. He found that beryllium lathes and grinding machines were not located in individual rooms, thus allowing beryllium dust to escape throughout the plant. “Anybody that worked in that plant should be considered to be at risk for beryllium disease,” he said (Herald Tribune, May 30, 2004).

The Risk of Contracting Chronic Beryllium Disease or Berylliosis

Grinding and machining beryllium metal or beryllium–containing compounds can create beryllium dust. Inhaling even small amounts of beryllium may cause serious respiratory diseases such as lung cancer and berylliosis.

Berylliosis or chronic beryllium disease is a painful scarring of the lung tissue that leads to shortness of breath and chest pain. The disease greatly limits life activities and may eventually stress the heart. There is no known cure for berylliosis, although taking steroids such as prednisone may ease the symptoms. See Berylliosis Treatment.

Beryllium Exposure Limits

OSHA has set the limit for beryllium exposure at 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter during an 8–hour shift. However, the agency admits that “the 2 microgram level may not be adequate to prevent the occurrence of chronic beryllium disease” and there is no known safe level of beryllium exposure (OSHA Hazard Information Bulletin, September 2, 1999). In all likelihood, the Tallevast plant workers were exposed to beryllium levels much higher than even this inadequate OSHA limit.

Berylliosis begins as an allergic reaction to beryllium. A worker may develop signs of berylliosis anywhere from several months to 40 years after initial exposure (Medfacts, National Jewish Medical & Research Center). We can expect some employees of the Tallevast plant to show their first berylliosis symptoms in the coming years. Still others have already contracted the disease.

At Brayton Purcell, we are concerned about the devastating effects of berylliosis and lung cancer. For over 20 years, we have been advocates for workers exposed to toxic substances, including beryllium. If you are suffering from a beryllium–related disease, please feel free to contact us to learn about your legal options.