How can I be exposed to beryllium?
Workers in industries where beryllium is present may be exposed to beryllium by inhaling or contacting beryllium in the air or on surfaces. Inhaling or contacting beryllium can cause an immune response that results in an individual becoming sensitized to beryllium.
What are symptoms of beryllium exposure?
What are the symptoms of beryllium disease?
- Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath.
- Weakness.
- Fatigue.
- Loss of appetite.
- Weight loss.
- Joint pain.
- Cough.
- Fever.
Can you touch beryllium?
Direct contact with beryllium fumes or dusts may injure the exposed areas of the body, such as the eyes or the skin. Skin sensitization may also occur. Beryllium is also a known cancer causing substance, with higher levels of lung cancer being reported.
What foods contain beryllium?
Beryllium, as a chemical component, is found naturally in some food. The concentration of beryllium in both raw carrots and field corn grown in the United States is less than 25 micrograms (µg) (1 µg=1 millionth of a gram) in a kilogram (kg) of the fresh vegetables.
How poisonous is beryllium?
Health effects of beryllium Beryllium is not an element that is crucial for humans; in fact it is one of the most toxic chemicals we know. It is a metal that can be very harmful when humans breathe it in, because it can damage the lungs and cause pneumonia.
Which disease is caused when beryllium enters the body?
Chronic Beryllium Disease, sometimes called berylliosis, is a chronic granulomatous lung disease caused by an immunological response from exposure to beryllium. CBD can progress to a serious and life-threatening disease if left undiagnosed and beryllium exposure continues.
How much beryllium is toxic to humans?
ABD is generally associated with exposure to beryllium levels at or above 100 μg/m3 and may be fatal in 10 percent of cases.
Can you eat beryllium?
Swallowing beryllium has not been reported to cause effects in humans because very little beryllium can move from the stomach or intestines into the bloodstream. Ulcers have been seen in dogs ingesting soluble beryllium salts in the diet.
Is beryllium a human carcinogen?
Human epidemiology studies are limited, but suggest a causal relationship between beryllium exposure and an increased risk of lung cancer. Inhalation exposure to beryllium has been demonstrated to cause lung cancer in rats and monkeys. EPA has classified beryllium as a Group B1, probable human carcinogen.
What are the hazards of beryllium?
Beryllium is extremely toxic to lung tissue. Prolonged exposure can lead to chronic beryllium disease, a debilitating lung disease with a scary similarity to sarcoidosis.
What are the health risks of beryllium?
For those susceptible, it is not even known if any level of beryllium exposure can be considered “safe”, exposure must be reduced. Symptoms of Chronic Beryllium disease include: Weakness. Fatigue. Difficulty Breathing. Weight Loss or Anorexia. Enlargement of the Right Side of the Heart. Heart Disease.
What are the health effects of beryllium?
The most common health problem related to beryllium sensitization or exposure is CBD when an individual is exposed to higher than the normal limit of beryllium in workplace. Fatigue, weakness, night sweats, breathing difficulty and dry cough are common symptoms of CBD. In severe case, CBD can result to anorexia and weight loss.
What are the environmental effects of beryllium?
Environmental effects of beryllium. Industrial emissions will add beryllium to air and wastewater disposals will add beryllium to water. It usually settles in sediment. Beryllium as a chemical element occurs naturally in soils in small amounts, but human activities have also increased these beryllium levels.