Beryllium is an extremely lightweight metal that occurs naturally in rocks, coal, soil, and volcanic dust. Commercially, bertrandite and beryl ore are mined for the recovery of beryllium. Because beryllium is one of the lightest metal and is very rigid, it has many uses in the electronics, aerospace, and defense industries. Beryllium is released into the atmosphere by windblown dust, volcanic p...

OBJECTIVES Gemstone cutters are potentially exposed to various carcinogenic and fibrogenic metals such as chromium, nickel, aluminium, and beryllium, as well as to lead. Increased beryllium concentrations had been reported in the air of workplaces of beryl cutters in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The aim of the survey was to study the excretion of beryllium in cutters and grinders with occupational ...

The value of the beryllium macrophage migration inhibition (Be MIF) and Mantoux tests in the diagnosis of chronic beryllium disease and in the detection of hypersensitivity in healthy beryllium workers is demonstrated. In the absence of steroid treatment the Be MIF test is positive in chronic beryllium disease patients. Seven of 50 (14%) helathy beryllium workers were Be MIF positive, while all...

The toxic action of beryllium eompounds has been studied extensively in the last few years. In many such compounds the harmful effect is due to the anion. An example is seen in the case of the double fluoride of sodium and beryllium which is often used in industry. However it is quite certain that the action of such compounds has an action of its own which was observed long ago (Siem, 1886; Com...

In contrast to naive T cells, reactivation of memory cells is less dependent on CD28-mediated costimulation. We have shown that circulating beryllium-specific CD4(+) T cells from chronic beryllium disease patients remain CD28-dependent, while those present in the lung no longer require CD28 for T cell activation. In the present study, we analyzed whether other costimulatory molecules are essent...

Recent clinical reports of pulmonary disease occurring in workers in the beryllium industry have stimulated new interest in the biochemical action of this element (for a complete bibliography, see (1)). Although it has not been possible to produce in animals pathological conditions identical with those Eeen in beryllium workers, experimental administration of beryllium and its compounds has res...

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from patients with chronic beryllium disease (CBD) have been used to evaluate the beryllium-specific immune response and potential immunotherapeutics. Beryllium induces interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) from BAL cells. An antibody to IL-2 and recombinant...

In ITER mixed Be/W layers are likely to form and their retention behavior is unknown. A series of ITER-grade tungsten samples have been exposed in PISCES-B to deuterium plasma at 300oC, with and without beryllium impurity seeding of the plasma. If the beryllium concentration is small, the majority of the incident beryllium is re-eroded from the sample surface and only a few nm thick layer of mi...

Chronic beryllium disease is a lung disorder caused by beryllium exposure in the workplace and is characterized by granulomatous inflammation and the accumulation of beryllium-specific, HLA-DP2-restricted CD4+ T lymphocytes in the lung that proliferate and secrete Th1-type cytokines. To characterize the interaction among HLA-DP2, beryllium, and CD4+ T cells, we constructed rHLA-DP2 and rHLA-DP4...

This study evaluated the presence of beryllium surface contamination in a U.S. conventional munitions plant as an indicator of possible past beryllium airborne and skin exposure and used these measurements to classify job categories by potential level of exposure. Surface samples were collected from production and nonproduction areas of the plant and at regional industrial reference sites with ...