Guidelines for Metals and Metalloids in Ambient ... - ARCHIVE: Defra

Beryllium
4.3.6 Reproductive and development toxicity
210. There are no studies of reproductive or development toxicity after
beryllium inhalation by humans or animals (ATSDR, 2002). A study
on male and female rats intratracheally injected beryllium oxide, prior
to mating, resulted in no consistent effect on reproduction (Clary et al.,
1975). Limited effects were observed on the development of rat fœtuses
when pregnant females were intratracheally injected with beryllium
chloride and beryllium oxide: there was some increase of fœtal
mortality and decrease of fœtal body weight with an increased risk of
internal abnormalities.
4.4. Evaluations and recommendations by other
organisations
211. Most animal experiments with airborne beryllium have involved large
doses and subsequently determined lowest observable adverse effect
levels (LOAEL) have been very much higher than those found in
studies on humans (USEPA, 1998; ATSDR, 2002).
4.4.1 Chronic beryllium disease
212. Following the identification of CBD in the 1940s, the first
occupational exposure limit (OEL) was introduced by the US Atomic
Energy Commission in 1949; an 8-hour OEL for beryllium was
established at 2 µg/m 3 . This standard was not based on the risk of CBD
but on the values used for other toxic metals (cadmium, mercury and
thallium); however, it was subsequently widely adopted.
213. It became clear that while an OEL of 2 µg/m 3 resulted in a decrease of
beryllium exposure it did not provide complete protection for workers.
Subsequently a small number of studies have identified a human
LOAEL; some of these are listed in Table 4.4.
Table 4.4: Lowest observable adverse effect levels values from data in USEPA (1998)
and ATSDR (2002)
Study Beryllium source LOAEL
Kreiss et al. (1996)
Stange et al. (1996)
Cullen et al. (1987)
Cotes et al. (1983)
Ceramic manufacture from beryllium oxide
Nuclear weapons facility
Precious metal refinery – beryllium oxide
Beryllium manufacturing plant – beryllium oxide
0.55 µg/m 3
1.04 µg/m 3
0.52 µg/m 3
0.1 µg/m 3
214. Eisenbud (1998), using the earlier Lorain data, derived an OEL of
0.2 µg/m 3 as the lowest concentration protecting individuals from
CBD. Employees at a copper-beryllium alloy factory did not, at crosssectional
survey, have either sensitisation or CBD if they worked in
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