Ä¢¹½tv

Ä¢¹½tv's Tiffani Fordyce, Alesia Jung, Jessica Lin, Heather Watson, and co-authors have released the results of the largest-ever study of beryllium exposure in the workplace. The report, titled "An updated mortality study of beryllium workers, 1925-2020," is now  through the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The study, funded by a U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program grant (# TX220306P1), examines adverse health effects from exposures to mixed soluble/insoluble beryllium compounds versus insoluble-only forms of beryllium among an expanded cohort of more than 17,000 workers employed across 15 U.S. facilities, the largest investigation to date. The authors found no increase in cancer, mortality, or other non-malignant respiratory diseases compared to the general population for workers who interacted with insoluble beryllium. These findings reinforce Ä¢¹½tv's initial studies about insoluble beryllium and help support its continued safe use in manufacturing.

In 1993, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) determined there was sufficient evidence that beryllium was a human carcinogen. The evaluation was largely driven by findings concerning lung cancer among beryllium manufacturing employees; however, further investigation by Ä¢¹½tv researchers and colleagues in  and found increased risk only among workers first employed in facilities with mixed soluble/insoluble beryllium exposures before 1955, when exposure levels were very high, before the introduction of technological changes that significantly reduced soluble beryllium in beryllium metal.

Beryllium transmits X-rays 17 times better than aluminum thanks to its low atomic weight and is often used in windows for X-ray tubes. Beryllium is also used in gyroscopes, accelerometers, and computer parts for inertial guidance instruments and other devices for missiles, aircraft, and space vehicles, and it is used for heavy-duty brake drums and similar applications where a good heat sink is important. It has also been used in nuclear reactors as shielding to slow down fast neutrons. Beryllium is of particular interest to the military as military populations are potentially exposed to insoluble beryllium while maintaining products containing beryllium in the context of national defense, spanning from avionics to strategic weapons systems. Results from this analysis help ensure that critical uses of beryllium can continue while maintaining the highest standards of worker safety.

From the publication: "No increase in lung cancer or other mortality for any timeframe for workers at insoluble-only beryllium facilities was observed."