Common Name: BERYLLIUM CARBONATE CAS Number: 66104-24-3 RTK Substance number: 3088 DOT Number: UN 1566 Date: November 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS * Beryllium Carbonate can affect you when breathed in. The following exposure limits are for Beryllium compounds * Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. (measured as Beryllium): * Breathing Beryllium Carbonate can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit 3 * High or repeated exposure can cause bronchitis or (PEL) is 0.002 mg/m averaged over an 8-hour 3 pneumonia with fever, cough and shortness of breath. workshift, 0.005 mg/m as a ceiling limit, and 3 0.025 mg/m as a 30-minute peak exposure limit. IDENTIFICATION NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is Beryllium Carbonate is a powder. It is used in processing 3 ores and in chemical and nuclear applications. 0.0005 mg/m , which should not be exceeded at any time. REASON FOR CITATION ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is * Beryllium Carbonate is on the Hazardous Substance List 0.0002 mg/m3 (as the inhalable fraction) because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, averaged over an 8-hour workshift. DOT, NIOSH, DEP, IARC and EPA. * Definitions are provided on page 5. WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE * Enclose operations and use local exhaust ventilation at the HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or EXPOSED enclosure is not used, respirators should be worn. The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers * Wear protective work clothing. to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Beryllium employers to provide their employees with information and Carbonate and at the end of the workshift. training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, addition, as part of an ongoing education and training requires private employers to provide similar training and effort, communicate all information on the health and information to their employees. safety hazards of Beryllium Carbonate to potentially exposed workers. * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results from your employer. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. BERYLLIUM CARBONATE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all Mixed Exposures potential and most severe health hazards that may result from * Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. potential effects described below. Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will --------------------------------------------------------------------------- reduce your risk of developing health problems. HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES Acute Health Effects Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most immediately or shortly after exposure to Beryllium effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to Carbonate: enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also * Contact can irritate the skin and eyes. reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is * Breathing Beryllium Carbonate can irritate the nose, less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is throat and lungs causing coughing, wheezing and/or sometimes necessary. shortness of breath. In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: Chronic Health Effects (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether some time after exposure to Beryllium Carbonate and can last harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls for months or years: should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. Cancer Hazard * While Beryllium Carbonate has not been identified as a In addition, the following control is recommended: carcinogen, it should be HANDLED WITH CAUTION since several related Beryllium compounds are * Where possible, automatically transfer Beryllium CARCINOGENS. Carbonate from drums or other storage containers to process containers. Reproductive Hazard * According to the information presently available to the New Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, exposures. The following work practices are recommended: Beryllium Carbonate has not been tested for its ability to affect reproduction. * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Beryllium Carbonate should change into clean clothing Other Long-Term Effects promptly. * High or repeated exposure can cause bronchitis or * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family pneumonia with fever, cough and shortness of breath. members could be exposed. * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by MEDICAL individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to Beryllium Carbonate. * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate Medical Testing work area for emergency use. If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency following are recommended: shower facilities should be provided. * On skin contact with Beryllium Carbonate, immediately * Chest x-ray and lung function tests. wash or shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and contacted Beryllium Carbonate, whether or not known present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for skin contact has occurred. damage already done are not a substitute for controlling * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Beryllium Carbonate is exposure. handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right smoking, or using the toilet. to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. * Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean- up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. * When vacuuming, a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter should be used, not a standard shop vacuum. BERYLLIUM CARBONATE page 3 of 6 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN Q: If I have acute health effects, will I later get chronic PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for health effects? some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs A: Not always. Most chronic (long-term) effects result from done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace repeated exposures to a chemical. controls are being installed), personal protective equipment may be appropriate. Q: Can I get long-term effects without ever having short- term effects? OSHA 1910.132 requires employers to determine the A: Yes, because long-term effects can occur from repeated appropriate personal protective equipment for each hazard and exposures to a chemical at levels not high enough to make to train employees on how and when to use protective equipment. you immediately sick. The following recommendations are only guidelines and may Q: What are my chances of getting sick when I have been not apply to every situation. exposed to chemicals? A: The likelihood of becoming sick from chemicals is Clothing increased as the amount of exposure increases. This is * Avoid skin contact with Beryllium Carbonate. Wear determined by the length of time and the amount of protective gloves and clothing. Safety equipment material to which someone is exposed. suppliers/manufacturers can provide recommendations on the most protective glove/clothing material for your Q: When are higher exposures more likely? operation. A: Conditions which increase risk of exposure include dust * All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) releasing operations (grinding, mixing, blasting, dumping, should be clean, available each day, and put on before etc.), other physical and mechanical processes (heating, work. pouring, spraying, spills and evaporation from large surface areas such as open containers), and "confined Eye Protection space" exposures (working inside vats, reactors, boilers, * Wear impact resistant eye protection with side shields or small rooms, etc.). goggles. * Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with Q: Is the risk of getting sick higher for workers than for corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. community residents? A: Yes. Exposures in the community, except possibly in Respiratory Protection cases of fires or