What is beryllium?

Beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal that is very strong and easy to shape. It has many industrial uses. Beryllium-copper alloys and beryllium-oxide ceramics are used in the electronic, nuclear and aerospace programs. Beryllium parts for nuclear weapons were manufactured and used at a number of Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. This manufacturing process continues at some laboratories today.

What is the Former Beryllium Workers Medical Surveillance Program?

The Medical Surveillance Program is designed to gather information regarding exposure to beryllium and to screen all DOE and DOE-contractor personnel who worked in plants where beryllium was processed. The Program was created at DOE because in 1993 Congress passed Public Law 102-484. Section 3162 of this law required DOE to evaluate the long-range health conditions of current and former employees who may be at risk for health problems as a result of their employment at DOE sites. Workers who were exposed to beryllium dust or fumes during machining and manufacturing operations may develop sensitivity to beryllium or, ultimately, chronic beryllium disease, or CBD. Beryllium screening formally began in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 1993. The national program was kicked off in early 1999. By mid-1999, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) in Tennessee, the agency managing the program, began testing at locations across the country. Beryllium screening consists of a blood test and a brief health questionnaire. The process takes only a few minutes and is paid for by the DOE.

How many DOE laboratories/facilities are involved in the program?

The medical surveillance program is operating at more than 20 DOE sites, including Rocky Flats in Colorado, Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, Hanford in Washington, Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. The Burlington Assembly Plant in Burlington, Iowa, was also known to have handled beryllium.

Is the Ames Laboratory included in the list of sites where beryllium was handled?

Yes. Beryllium was used at the Ames Laboratory in the 1940s and early 1950s. In the 1940s, it was used in the processes developed at the Laboratory for the production of highly pure uranium and thorium for the historic Manhattan Project. Ames Lab metallurgists also worked on a process to produce pure beryllium metal from beryllium fluoride. In the early 1950s, beryllium-oxide powder was used to produce beryllium shapes and crucibles. The toxicity of beryllium was not well known until after WWII when greater efforts were made to minimize exposure. Present-day buildings in which purification work would have occurred include Wilhelm Hall and Gilman Hall on the Iowa State University (ISU) campus.

How do you become exposed to beryllium?

Usually exposure is through breathing beryllium mists, dusts or fumes. Machinists, welders and operators may have been exposed to beryllium through direct handling of beryllium and beryllium compounds. Other workers may have been exposed by performing laboratory analyses on beryllium compounds, coming into contact with contaminated equipment or by working near a beryllium operation.

Part of the purpose of the Medical Surveillance Program is to gather information regarding exposure to beryllium. Because the exact number of workers potentially exposed at Ames Laboratory is not known, the Laboratory has submitted a list of all workers at the Laboratory before the mid-1950s, well past the time period after which beryllium work with significant exposure potential had ceased. This list included 1106 workers. A search of those names by the Center for Epidemiologic Research at ORISE produced a final list of 776 names.

In addition to the Ames Laboratory employees, ISU identified 222 non-Ames Laboratory faculty, staff, fellows and graduate students who worked in Gilman Hall during the late 1940s and early 1950s. These individuals may have been exposed to beryllium dusts through collaborations with Ames Lab projects or because of the proximity of their workspace to facilities where beryllium work was performed.

Is beryllium still used at the Ames Laboratory?

Beryllium is used on a very limited basis at the Ames Laboratory today. The quantities are small and used in such a way as to not generate ambient concentrations. No machining or grinding of beryllium is performed at the Ames Lab. Beryllium is also a constituent of some materials used at the Laboratory. For example, beryllium is a constituent of the windows used for cryostats and

X-ray beam paths. There is virtually no potential for exposure to employees in these forms.

How will I be notified if I am identified as potentially having been exposed to beryllium?

Individuals will receive a letter from the Department of Energy in mid-June inviting them to have a blood test (called a beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test, or Be-LPT) to determine whether they are sensitized to beryllium. If you want the test, simply return the reply form enclosed with the letter in the postage-paid envelope. Upon receipt, ORISE will contact you and schedule an appointment to have the blood test taken at a location convenient for you. If, after the blood test, additional medical examinations are recommended, a doctor will explain these tests. There is no cost to former workers for these tests.

How many people exposed to beryllium contract beryllium disease?

Based on a 1993 screening of 11,000 beryllium workers at sites like DOE’s Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site in Colorado and its Y-12 plant in Tennessee, approximately 4 to 5 percent showed an increased sensitivity to beryllium, and 1 to 2 percent have contracted CBD.

Can anyone get the test?

Only former Ames Laboratory workers, contractors and specified ISU personnel are being offered the screening. Other individuals must have the test performed by their own physician under their own health insurance plan. ORISE will work with personal physicians to help obtain proper testing. If the test comes back positive for beryllium sensitization, these individuals should contact ORISE at 1-866-812-6703.

What are the symptoms, and is beryllium disease treatable?

The symptoms include shortness of breath, especially with activity; cough; chest pain; fatigue; weight loss or loss of appetite. Today, chronic beryllium disease is not considered a fatal condition. For a few people, however, it can be serious enough to cause disability. Basically, beryllium disease causes inflammation and scarring of the lungs. Treatment includes prescription drugs and regular medical treatment. Some people can be diagnosed with the disease but have no symptoms.

Is the Ames Laboratory testing buildings to ensure they are beryllium free?

Yes. In cooperation with ISU, wipe samples are being collected in areas within two buildings (Gilman Hall and Wilhelm Hall) where beryllium work was known to have occurred. Representative surfaces, such as walls and floors, and utility chases will be wiped for beryllium. This sampling should be completed by July 1, 2001, and the results should be known about two weeks thereafter.

Former Beryllium Workers Medical Surveillance Program

Toll-free hotline: 1-866-812-6703
E-mail: NeillB@orau.com
Web sites: http://www.orau.gov/cer/default.htm

Beryllium facts and factsheets
http://tis.eh.doe.gov/be/
http://www.orau.gov/cer/BMSP_pro/be-facts.htm

DOE Worker Compensation Program
Toll-free hotline: 1-877-447-9756
Web site: http://www.eh.doe.gov/advocacy.

Ames Laboratory Public Affairs Office: 1-515-294-5643 (Steve Karsjen)

DOE Public Affairs Office: 1-865-576-3147 (Pam Bonee)

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6/19/01