The prevalence of beryllium sensitization and chronic beryllium disease by job category was examined among individuals tested in the Rocky Flats Beryllium Health Surveillance Program. The program offered ongoing beryllium health surveillance for any current or former employee who believed they may have been exposed to beryllium at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. Of the 18,589 living individuals contacted, 7573 requested participation and 6614 (87.3%) eventually participated. Of this group, 78.2 percent were found to have verifiable job and building histories. The beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test was used to identify beryllium-sensitized individuals. Sensitization and chronic beryllium disease rates were analyzed with respect to gender, building work location(s), and length of employment at Rocky Flats. Several job categories and buildings were strongly associated with the 81 cases of chronic beryllium disease and the additional 154 cases of beryllium sensitization in this population. Beryllium sensitization was highest among beryllium machinists, 11.4 percent (odds ratio = 3.04, compared to the remainder of those tested, 95% confidence interval = 1.48, 3.97) and health physics technicians, 11.9 percent (odds ratio = 2.87, 95% confidence interval = 1.12, 7.36). However, odds ratios were also increased among custodial employees, 5.64 percent (odds ratio = 1.30, 95% confidence interval = 0.92, 1.85) and other job titles that were thought to have only minimal potential for exposure to beryllium.
Beryllium Sensitization and Chronic Beryllium Disease at a Former Nuclear Weapons Facility
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.