The workers that are exposed to beryllium are workers that work in fabricating, machining, and manufacturing as well as processing of beryllium metal, alloys and ceramics.
Workers that work in industries like electronics, energy, telecommunications, medical, defense and even aerospace are at risk of exposure to beryllium, especially machine operators, foundry workers, welders and metal fabricators.
Exposure to beryllium can also occur in shipyards and construction and even maintenance workers can get exposed to beryllium dust and fumes.
What beryllium does in the human body is trigger a hypersensitive immune response and lead to severe respiratory and systemic diseases, like chronic beryllium disease and even lung cancer in some cases.
Beryllium is a toxic substance and exposure to beryllium often occurs in industrial settings and can result in an accumulation of inflammatory cells, which are known as granulomas, in your lungs and other tissues and cause symptoms like weight loss, fatigue, chronic cough and shortness of breath.
The only way to reduce beryllium in your body is to prevent further exposure to the beryllium.
However once you have beryllium in your body, you cannot actively reduce the beryllium in your body, but you can also manage the effects of beryllium after exposure to slow the progression of chronic beryllium disease, which can involve taking medications like prednisone, which suppresses your immune response as well as oxygen therapy to improve your breathing.
Beryllium cannot be fully removed from the body once you've been exposed as beryllium is a persistent metal and the process of natural excretion of beryllium from the body, which mainly occurs through the kidneys" is very slow.
Particles of beryllium can still be retained in your organs like your liver, lungs and even your skeleton for years.
Treatment for beryllium exposure can help to manage the symptoms and progression of any related diseases like chronic beryllium disease.
Beryllium is not absorbed through skin that is intact and uninjured, but beryllium can enter the skin and be absorbed through cuts and scrapes.
The common health effect that is caused by beryllium is Chronic Beryllium Disease, which is a permanent lung condition that is caused by an immune response and even possible lung cancer as beryllium is considered a human carcinogen.
Other health effects of beryllium is acute beryllium disease such as chemical pneumonia from high, short term exposure, ulcers from direct contact with skin and skin rashes and beryllium sensitization, in which your body's immune system becomes hypersensitive to the substance, which increases your risk of developing chronic beryllium disease.
Beryllium is cancerous and is classified as a human carcinogen.
Both the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research and Cancer have listed beryllium as a known human carcinogen.
Inhaling of beryllium increases a persons risk of lung cancer significantly, especially in occupational settings that are high exposure to beryllium.
The way you get exposed to beryllium is through inhalation of beryllium dust or fumes in the workplace which then triggers an immune response in the body, which results in lung scarring and lung inflammation.
Chronic beryllium disease is caused by the inhalation of beryllium dust or fumes, which then triggers an abnormal immune response in susceptible people, which leads to lung inflammation and lung scarring.
Although exposure to beryllium is the main trigger for chronic beryllium disease, not everyone that is exposed to beryllium will get the chronic beryllium disease.
Only people that have become sensitized to beryllium will develop chronic beryllium disease.
Also genetic factors like a mutation in your HLA-DPB1 gene can also increase your risk of developing beryllium sensitization and subsequently chronic beryllium disease.
CBD or chronic beryllium disease is a systemic disorder, although it can also involve your lymph nodes, your skin, your spleen, your liver, your kidneys and your heart, although your lungs are the main target organs of chronic beryllium disease.
Chronic beryllium disease in the lungs is a long term lung disease which is caused by the inhalation of beryllium dust or fumes.
Chronic beryllium disease also called CBD disease is a reaction of your immune system to beryllium, which leads to inflammation and scarring or fibrosis in your lungs.
Symptoms of chronic beryllium disease can appear within months after exposure or even years after exposure to the beryllium.
Symptoms of chronic beryllium disease include weight loss and fever, fatigue, shortness of breath and a cough that is persistent.
Treatment for chronic beryllium disease includes the use of corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and oxygen therapy to help improve your breathing, although irreversible lung damage can still occur.
In CBD or chronic beryllium disease, when a person inhales beryllium particles, the person's immune system can become sensitized.
The sensitization then leads to the formation of granulomas, which are clumps of inflammatory cells in your lungs.
The granulomas cause chronic inflammation and then over time, they can lead to scarring and fibrosis of the lungs which is irreversible.
This makes it difficult for your lungs to get the needed oxygen to the bloodstream.
Chronic beryllium disease mainly affects people that are exposed to beryllium in the workplace, which use the metal like in mining, manufacturing and aerospace.
Diagnosis for chronic beryllium disease involves a history of beryllium exposure, characteristic clinical findings and lab tests, such as the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test.
No cure is available for chronic beryllium disease, but treatments can help manage the symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Oxygen therapy for breathing difficulties is an option for treatment as well as corticosteroids for reducing inflammation.