Beryllium Medical Surveillance Program

Beryllium Medical Surveillance Program
800.423.8891, Ext. 1722
BerylliumGroup@njhealth.org

Beryllium is a lightweight, strong metal known for its nonmagnetic, electrical and thermal conductivity, making it useful in many industrial applications. It is widely used in the defense, aerospace, energy, electronics, telecommunications and medical industries. It is a contaminant in the metal scrap recycling industry. Workers in these industries are at risk of developing beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD) due to beryllium exposures at work.

Beryllium medical surveillance is designed to detect workers with health effects from hazardous occupational hazards. Medical surveillance identifies individual workers with beryllium health effects, and it identifies job tasks or work areas where beryllium exposures may be elevated and putting other workers at risk. Medical surveillance data, used in conjunction with exposure assessment data, identifies areas in a workplace where exposure controls need to be improved.

National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado, is a world leader in beryllium health and safety, research and education with more than three decades of experience in the field. We perform more than 10,000 beryllium blood lymphocyte proliferation tests (BeLPTs) annually, and our experts can help design a program that complies with OSHA regulations and is tailored to your company’s specific needs.

Medical Surveillance Requirements for Beryllium

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to offer medical surveillance to workers who meet one or more of the following criteria:

A worker who is or is reasonably expected to be exposed to beryllium at or above the action level of 0.1ug/m3 for 30 days in a year
A worker who displays signs or symptoms of CBD
A worker who is exposed to beryllium during an emergency
A worker who has received a recommendation for continued medical surveillance from a physician or other licensed health care profession (PLHCP) from their most recent exam.

Medical surveillance must be offered to employees:

Within 30 days of meeting exposure at or above action level of 0.1ug/m3
Every two years if the worker is still doing the same job and exposed at the same levels
At termination of employment

Customized Beryllium Medical Surveillance Programs

National Jewish Health has more than three decades of experience working with employer health and safety teams to ensure compliance with OSHA standards, uphold worker safety standards and reduce healthcare expenses. Our Beryllium Program team can help design a program that complies with OSHA regulations and is tailored to your company’s specific needs.

For individuals identified as beryllium sensitized -- with two abnormal BeLPTs, one abnormal and one borderline BeLPT, or three borderline BeLPTs, -- National Jewish Health provides comprehensive diagnosis and treatment. For workers diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease (CBD), our physicians prescribe treatment to stabilize the disease and often improves symptoms, keeping people active and in the workforce. We coordinate with local health care providers as appropriate to ensure effective treatment and case management.

For more information about the National Jewish Health Beryllium Medical Surveillance Program call 800.423.8891, Ext. 1722 or email BerylliumGroup@njhealth.org.