New Test Makes Spotting Deadly Beryllium Dust
Easier
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, September 7, 2001 (ENS) -
Detecting hazardous beryllium on surfaces is now as simple as
testing the acidity of a swimming pool, due to the work of
scientists at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico.
Beryllium is a rare element that is extracted from the earth,
refined and reduced to a very fine powder. Because of the dangers
associated with inhaling beryllium dust, the Department of Energy
(DOE) has adopted a limit for workplace beryllium exposure.
Los Alamos researchers Tammy Taylor and Nan Sauer have developed
a test for beryllium that compares a color change to known
standards, similar to the common litmus test for measuring the
acidity of a water solution. The test allows real-time detection of
beryllium contamination on surfaces.
The new beryllium detection technique involves wiping the
surfaces of the lab with a prepared pad and then adding a solution.
If the pad turns blue, beryllium is present; if it remains orange,
then the surface is free of significant contamination.
Worker holds up a swipe that is free of beryllium contamination.
(Photo courtesy Los Alamos National
Laboratory)
Keeping workplace surfaces clean helps
minimize the potential for worker exposure. People exposed to
beryllium dust or fumes can develop chronic beryllium disease, an
incurable lung ailment.
Taylor presented details of the new swipe detection method at the
222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago
late last month.
Beryllium is widely used in aerospace, computer, sporting goods,
electronics and in nuclear weapons applications because of its
unique materials properties. The metal is lighter than aluminum,
stiffer than steel, remains solid at high temperatures and can
absorb large amounts of heat.
Breathing fine particulate beryllium triggers an autoimmune
response in an estimated one to six percent of exposed individuals
that can result in chronic beryllium disease (CBD), a debilitating
and sometimes fatal disease. Currently there is no cure for CBD. The
dust is generated from the handling of beryllium powder or from the
grinding of beryllium ceramics.
There is no known safe level of beryllium exposure and minimal
exposures to beryllium have been shown to cause chronic beryllium
disease in susceptible individuals. Even household family members of
individuals who work with beryllium can develop CBD from exposure to
dust on a worker's clothing. So people working with beryllium must
minimize exposure and establish rigorous housekeeping practices.
Taylor and Sauer realized in order to do their research
efficiently and with the highest degree of safety they needed to
develop a rapid test to assess beryllium contamination.
"When we began working with beryllium in our labs, we wanted to
take every safety precaution because of the risks associated with
beryllium work," said Taylor, who developed the beryllium swipe
technique. "We wanted to develop a quick test to say whether our
area was clean and it was safe to perform experiments. The beryllium
swipe technique will permit beryllium workers to monitor surfaces in
their work environment thoroughly on a regular basis at minimal
expense and without delays or excessive lost work time due to
waiting for test results."
Beryllium copper and beryllium nickel golf clubs (Photo
courtesy )
The present method for detecting beryllium in
the workplace is costly and time consuming. It may take days or
weeks to obtain results of laboratory analysis. In many cases work
cannot be performed until results come back indicating beryllium
levels are below the acceptable surface contamination limit.
Taylor's beryllium colorimetric test is not meant to replace the
existing method that can quantify the amount of beryllium on a
surface, but to allow a worker to get a quick, qualitative result
indicating the effectiveness of housekeeping efforts and
contamination control. The new method is expected to cut down on the
number of samples sent for costly quantitative analysis.
Gary Whitney, an industrial hygienist at Los Alamos who conducts
beryllium monitoring, said, "This test has the potential to give us
preliminary information very quickly and at low cost. We are in the
process of seeing if this could be developed into a more
quantitative method and not just a quick screening method. I have
conducted some preliminary side-by-side tests using Taylor's
technique and the quantitative analytical technique. The initial
results look promising."
Preparing the pads and performing the detection test for
beryllium are simple tasks. The pads are soaked in two solutions,
dried and then used to wipe the potentially contaminated surface.
After wiping, the pad is treated with another solution and formation
of a blue color indicates beryllium. The whole process takes less
than an hour and the materials for each test cost less than a
dollar.
"We've conducted this test with a variety of potential
interferences like cutting fluids [used in machining metals],
mineral oil, common household cleansers and dust to see if they
interact with the beryllium and give a false negative," said Taylor.
"We've also done the test with other metals that may be present in
the machine shops or at beryllium contaminated sites to make sure
that the pads don't register false positives."
The beryllium test developed at Los Alamos builds upon an earlier
beryllium measuring technique developed by Russian scientists.
Electronics components containing beryllium (Photo
courtesy Leader Tech)
Department of Energy
rules on beryllium have established surface contamination limits for
beryllium work areas and equipment. The detection technique
developed by Taylor is sensitive enough to allow detection of
beryllium on surfaces within these limits.
The test may also save the government money that might otherwise
have to be paid to workers exposed to beryllium under The Energy
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act signed into
law last year. The program, established after the Energy Department
accepted responsibility for exposing thousands of workers to
radioactive materials during the Cold War, covers workers who came
in contact with beryllium.
The program offers one time $150,000 payments and lifetime
medical coverage to nuclear workers and others made ill by the
government's nuclear weapons program. Any workers who developed
chronic beryllium disease after working at any Energy Department
sites where beryllium was used will get coverage if they died or
were disabled. Those found to have beryllium sensitivity will be
covered for regular medical screenings, but not for the $150,000 pay
out.
Eligible to apply for benefits are workers at Department of
Energy facilities; atomic weapons employers involved in the
production of nuclear weapons under contract to the Energy
Department or its predecessor agencies; and beryllium vendors,
companies that sold beryllium metal or parts to the Department of
Energy or its predecessor agencies.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of
California for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear
Security Administration.
DOE Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program: http://www.tis.eh.doe.gov/be/index.html-ssi
DOE Office of Worker Advocacy: http://www.eh.doe.gov/advocacy/
Beryllium Support Group: http://www.dimensional.com/~mhj/index.html
