Risk of beryllium sensitization in a low-exposed former nuclear weapons cohort from the Cold War era.
Am J Ind Med
; 54(3): 194-204, 2011 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21298695
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The nuclear weapons industry has long been known as a source of beryllium exposure.METHODS:
A total of 1,004 former workers from a nuclear weapons assembly site in the Midwest were screened for sensitization to beryllium (BeS). The screenings were part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Former Worker Program established in 1996.RESULTS:
Twenty-three (2.3%) workers were found sensitized to beryllium and this prevalence was comparable to other DOE sites. Occasional, direct exposure to beryllium through machining and grinding of copper-beryllium (Cu-Be) 2% alloy tools was found to increase the risk of sensitization compared to background exposure (OR = 3.83; 95% CI 1.04-14.03) with a statistically significant trend (P = 0.03) revealing that particular jobs are associated with sensitization. Exposure potential in this study was estimated based on job titles and not personal exposure information.CONCLUSIONS:
These results confirm the need to screen workers using beryllium alloy tools in other industries and for consideration of altering work practices.
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Beriliosis
/
Berilio
/
Exposición Profesional
/
Armas Nucleares
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Incidence_studies
/
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
/
Screening_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Am J Ind Med
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos