September 14‚ 2001 — Workplace exposure to beryllium should be reduced immediately‚ according to a petition filed with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by the Paper‚ Allied—Industrial‚ Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) and a consumer organization‚ Public Citizen. The groups have asked that the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) for beryllium be lowered tenfold — from the current standard of 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter during an 8—hour shift. They also request that beryllium workers be screened annually using the blood lymphocyte proliferation test‚ which measures sensitization to beryllium and risk for chronic beryllium disease or berylliosis.

“OSHA’s failure to adopt a standard that will protect workers from unnecessary beryllium exposure is unconscionable‚” said Dr. Peter Lurie in a Public Citizen press release. “Every day the agency ignores this issue‚ tens of thousands of workers are needlessly exposed to this life-threatening hazard.”

The current beryllium PEL was adopted in 1949 by the Atomic Energy Commission‚ and again in 1970‚ with the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. After some workers developed chronic beryllium disease or berylliosis‚ the Department of Energy lowered the PEL to 0.2 micrograms per 8—hour shift for its government workers and federal contractors in 1999.

OSHA failed to adopt the Department of Energy standard‚ even though beryllium is a known human carcinogen and various government health agencies called for a reduced PEL. Based on reports from the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists and others‚ PACE and Public Citizen have concluded: “... 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter is the highest PEL that should be in effect‚ and even that may be inadequately protective.”