Evidence of beryllium disease turned up during medical screenings of former construction workers at the Oak Ridge, TN, nuclear weapons plant.

Nearly 600 former construction workers have been interviewed as part of the Oak Ridge screening program, which was organized through the Knoxville Building and Construction Trades Council with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Dr. Eula Bingham, director of the project begun more than a year ago, noted that typically beryllium disease is associated with production workers exposed while machining or processing the lightweight metal. However, project overseers at the Oak Ridge plant decided to test nearly all of the workers for beryllium exposure because the metal was handled at numerous buildings where construction work was performed, particularly at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. Oak Ridge construction workers probably were exposed to a number of hazardous materials, ranging from asbestos to radioactive elements.

“We’re seeing beryllium sensitization among construction workers, which is very troubling,” said Bingham. Sensitization is an early indicator of chronic beryllium disease, an incurable respiratory illness that can be fatal.

A half-dozen construction workers have tested positive to a special blood test that determines if a person’s body has become sensitized to the toxic metal. Additional tests are required to confirm chronic beryllium disease. About 175 medical exams have been completed thus far.

Bingham said she believes some of the medical problems identified during the exams, such as respiratory impairments, are definitely related to the workers’ exposures at the Oak Ridge work sites. She declined to estimate how many of the workers have occupational illnesses.

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