OSHA warns dental lab workers against inhaling beryllium dust

[Guest guest]

http://www.nandotimes.com/healthscience/story/375008p-3012860c.html

OSHA warns dental lab workers against inhaling beryllium dust

Copyright © 2002 AP Online

By LEIGH STROPE, AP Labor Writer

WASHINGTON (April 23, 2002 4:50 p.m. EDT) - Government regulators cautioned

dental labs Tuesday that technicians who work on crowns and bridges may be

inhaling dust that contains hazardous levels of the toxic metal beryllium.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the hazard bulletin

after several dental lab technicians were diagnosed with chronic beryllium

disease, a debilitating and often fatal lung disease.

" We are concerned that dental lab technicians are continuing to contract the

disease, " said OSHA Administrator Henshaw.

The warning was aimed only at workers, not dental patients.

Dental offices should not be concerned unless beryllium-containing alloys

are being cast, cut, ground, polished or finished there. Beryllium in solid

form was not part of the alert.

Beryllium is a lightweight metal that also is used in aerospace components,

semiconductor chips, jet engine blades, transistors, nuclear reactors and

nuclear weapons. It often is mixed with other metals to form an alloy, which

is used in dental labs to make bridges and crowns to improve their strength.

Scientists have learned that exposure to low levels of beryllium dust,

fumes, metal, metal oxides, ceramics or salts even over a short period of

time can result in chronic beryllium disease, lung cancer or skin disease,

OSHA said.

Symptoms include shortness of breath, dry cough, fatigue, weight loss, loss

of appetite, fever or night sweats.

A recent case involved a 53-year-old Florida woman who had worked as a

dental lab technician for 13 years and was diagnosed with the disease in May

2000. Her daily work involved sandblasting and grinding beryllium dental

alloy. She wore only a surgical-type paper mask and was exposed to a lot of

dust, OSHA said.

Not all dental alloys used in crowns and bridges contain beryllium. OSHA

urged labs to use non-beryllium alloys when possible. It also recommended

that labs provide protective clothing and use ventilation and air filter

systems.

The agency issued the bulletin to 1,700 labs and posted the information on

its Web site. It also is working with the National Association of Dental

Laboratories. The group's president, Harrell, said beryllium use in

dental alloys isn't widespread.

" Base metals have been out of favor in dentistry for some time, " he said.

More common are alloys containing gold, platinum and palladium, and also

ceramics.

OSHA's legal limit of beryllium is 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air. That

is equivalent to dust about the size of a pencil tip spread throughout an

area about the size of the Statue of Liberty, OSHA said. But the agency is

reviewing whether to tighten the standard.