Editing Beryllium (section)

===Occupational exposure===
In the US, the [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration]] (OSHA) has designated a [[permissible exposure limit]] (PEL) for beryllium and beryllium compounds of 0.2&nbsp;μg/m<sup>3</sup> as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) and 2.0&nbsp;μg/m<sup>3</sup> as a [[short-term exposure limit]] over a sampling period of 15 minutes. The [[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]] (NIOSH) has set a [[recommended exposure limit]] (REL) upper-bound threshold of 0.5&nbsp;μg/m<sup>3</sup>. The [[IDLH]] (immediately dangerous to life and health) value is 4&nbsp;mg/m<sup>3</sup>.<ref>{{PGCH|0054}}</ref> The toxicity of beryllium is on par with other toxic metalloids/metals, such as [[arsenic]] and [[mercury (element)|mercury]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0038.html |title=CDC - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Arsenic (inorganic compounds, as As)<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=30 October 2021 |archive-date=11 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511073321/https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0038.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0383.html NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Mercury compounds]. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507085512/https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0383.html |date=7 May 2021 }}</ref>

Exposure to beryllium in the workplace can lead to a sensitized immune response, and over time development of [[berylliosis]].<ref name="cdc.gov">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/beryllium/be-sensitization-drds.html |title=CDC – Beryllium Research- NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic |website=www.cdc.gov |access-date=30 January 2017 |archive-date=8 March 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130308164753/http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/beryllium/be-sensitization-drds.html |url-status=live}}</ref> NIOSH in the United States researches these effects in collaboration with a major manufacturer of beryllium products. NIOSH also conducts genetic research on sensitization and CBD, independently of this collaboration.<ref name="cdc.gov" />

Acute beryllium disease in the form of [[chemical pneumonitis]] was first reported in Europe in 1933 and in the United States in 1943. A survey found that about 5% of workers in plants manufacturing [[fluorescent lamp]]s in 1949 in the United States had beryllium-related lung diseases.{{sfn|Emsley|2001|p=5}} Chronic berylliosis resembles [[sarcoidosis]] in many respects, and the [[differential diagnosis]] is often difficult. It killed some early workers in nuclear weapons design, such as [[Herbert L. Anderson]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.atomicarchive.com/Photos/CP1/image5.shtml |title=Photograph of Chicago Pile One Scientists 1946 |date=19 June 2006 |publisher=Office of Public Affairs, Argonne National Laboratory |access-date=18 September 2008 |archive-date=11 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211195616/http://www.atomicarchive.com/Photos/CP1/image5.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref>

Beryllium may be found in coal slag. When the slag is formulated into an abrasive agent for blasting paint and rust from hard surfaces, the beryllium can become airborne and become a source of exposure.<ref name="shapiro">[https://www.dailypress.com/2013/08/31/newport-news-shipbuilding-workers-face-a-hidden-toxin/ Newport News Shipbuilding Workers Face a Hidden Toxin], [[Daily Press (Virginia)]], Michael Welles Shapiro, 31 August 2013</ref>

Although the use of beryllium compounds in fluorescent lighting tubes was discontinued in 1949, potential for exposure to beryllium exists in the nuclear and aerospace industries, in the refining of beryllium metal and the melting of beryllium-containing alloys, in the manufacturing of electronic devices, and in the handling of other beryllium-containing material.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc106.htm |title=Beryllium: ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CRITERIA 106 |author=International Programme on Chemical Safety |date=1990 |publisher=World Health Organization |access-date=10 April 2011 |archive-date=9 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609023121/http://www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc106.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>