December 6‚ 2002 — As a prelude to proposing new beryllium rules‚ the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is accepting public comments about on–the–job exposure to beryllium The comment period ends on February 24‚ 2003.

The requested information includes levels of employee exposure to beryllium‚ health effects of beryllium‚ monitoring methods and procedures‚ employee training‚ and medical surveillance. OSHA is particularly interested in identifying beryllium exposures in small businesses and in industries not normally associated with the substance.

Some medical questions posed by the agency are:

• Which studies should OSHA consider concerning chronic beryllium disease and beryllium–related lung cancer?
• Do any recent studies examine the effects of skin exposure to beryllium?
• Are there any reports showing serious health effects from beryllium exposure that occurred other than through skin contact or breathing beryllium particles?
  
• How does the extent and length of beryllium exposure effect workers?
  

Current Industry Beryllium Exposure Limits

OSHA’s current industry standard sets a permissible exposure limit for beryllium at 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter of air for an 8–hour average. Recognizing the extreme hazards posed by beryllium‚ the Department of Energy (DOE) sets the limit for DOE workers and federal contractors at 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter—an amount 10 times lower than the OSHA level.

Many medical researchers believe that the current OSHA exposure limit is too high. “The potential health risk has been underestimated…” according to Dr. Ronald C. Balkissoon‚ M.D.‚ a professor at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver‚ Colorado (see News‚ National Jewish Medical and Research Center). “Anything that has some beryllium content may cause chronic beryllium disease. Even very low level exposure in a susceptible person can lead to significant lung disease.”

For more information about the serious health problems caused by beryllium exposure‚ see Medical Issues: Beryllium–Related Diseases. If you have been exposed to beryllium and diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease‚ please feel free to contact us at Brayton Purcell. We have extensive experience in helping beryllium victims and their families and can tell you about your legal options.