Screening for Beryllium Disease Among Construction Trade Workers at Department of Energy Nuclear Sites
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Background To determine whether current and former construction workers are at
significant risk for occupational illnesses from work at the Department of Energy’s (DOE)
nuclear weapons facilities, screening programs were undertaken at the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation, Oak Ridge Reservation, and the Savannah River Site.
Methods Medical examination for beryllium disease used a medical history and a
beryllium blood lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT). Stratified and multivariate logistic
regression analyses were used to explore the risk of disease by age, race, sex, trade,
duration of DOE employment, reported work in buildings where beryllium was used, and
time since last DOE site employment.
Results Of the 3,842 workers included in this study, 34% reported exposure to beryllium.
Overall, 2.2% of workers had at least one abnormal BeLPT test, and 1.4% were also
abnormal on a second test. Regression analyses demonstrated increased risk of having at
least one abnormal BeLPT to be associated with ever working in a site building where
beryllium activities had taken place.
Conclusions The prevalence of beryllium sensitivity and chronic beryllium disease
(CBD) in construction workers is described and the positive predictive value of the BeLPT
in a population with less intense exposure to beryllium than other populations that have
been screened is discussed. The BeLPT findings and finding of cases of CBD demonstrate
that some of these workers had significant exposure, most likely, during maintenance,
repair, renovation, or demolition in facilities where beryllium was used. Am. J. Ind. Med.
46:207–218, 2004. 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
