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What is Beryllium?
Beryllium is a hard and brittle gray-white metal with high heat capacity and conductivity. It is the lightest structural metal known. Beryllium is highly toxic, especially if breathed as dust.
Beryllium is very rare. It is not used much outside of the nuclear defense complex, the nuclear energy industry, or the space program.
Beryllium Exposure
Long-term exposure to beryllium may cause chronic beryllium disease. Symptoms are shortness of breath, lung scarring, and berylliosis. Berylliosis means non-cancerous growrths in the lungs.
Beryllium is a carcinogen. It may cause lung cancer, even in people who do not smoke. Symptoms are a cough that brings up sputum, hoarseness, shortness of breath, chest pain, or loss of appetite and weight.
What We Look For
A blood test called LPT may be given. LPT means lymphocyte proliferation test. A lymphocite is a kind of white blood cell. Too many lymphocytes may mean disease. Two LPTs may be required due to its sensitivity. If there are two positive LPTs, a chest x-ray and spirometry testing would be given. If you test positive, you will be referred to your doctor or advised of the specialty consultation needed for any additional test or treatment.Based on your history and the exam results, you also may be offered or referred for additional risk-specific examinations under this program.
Confidentiality
All test results are confidential. You will receive a letter summarizing your examination and photocopies of your test results which you may share with your personal physician.
