Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet Common Name: BERYLLIUM SULFATE Synonyms: Beryllium Sulphate CAS Number: 13510-49-1 Chemical Name: Sulfuric Acid, Beryllium Salt (1:1) RTK Substance Number: 3084 Date: November 1998 Revision: October 2008 DOT Number: UN 1566 Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE BACK PAGE Beryllium Sulfate is an odorless, colorless, crystalline (sand- Hazard Summary like) solid. It is an intermediate in the processing of Beryllium Hazard Rating NJDOH NFPA ore used in chemical and nuclear applications. HEALTH 4 - FLAMMABILITY 0 - REACTIVITY 0 - CARCINOGEN POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; 4=severe Reasons for Citation f Beryllium Sulfate is on the Right to Know Hazardous f Beryllium Sulfate can affect you when inhaled. Substance List because it is cited by OSHA, ACGIH, DOT, f Beryllium Sulfate is a CARCINOGEN. HANDLE WITH NIOSH, NTP, DEP, IARC, IRIS and EPA. EXTREME CAUTION. f This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance f Beryllium Sulfate can irritate and burn the skin and cause List. skin ulcers to develop. f Eye contact can cause irritation, redness, itching and burning f Inhaling Beryllium Sulfate can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. Bronchitis and/or pneumonia may occur 1 to 2 days after high exposure. f Exposure to Beryllium Sulfate dust can cause permanent SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5. scars to develop in the lungs and cause heart failure. FIRST AID Eye Contact Workplace Exposure Limits f Immediately flush with large amounts of cool water for at The following exposure limits are for Beryllium and Beryllium least 15 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove compounds (measured as Beryllium): contact lenses, if worn, while flushing. Seek medical attention. OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit (PEL) is Skin Contact 0.002 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour workshift and f Quickly remove contaminated clothing. Immediately wash 0.005 mg/m3, not to be exceeded during any contaminated skin with large amounts of water. 3 30-minute work period, and 0.025 mg/m as an Inhalation acceptable maximum peak during any 8-hr workshift. f Remove the person from exposure. f Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit (REL) is breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. 3 f Transfer promptly to a medical facility. 0.0005 mg/m , which should not be exceeded at any time. EMERGENCY NUMBERS ACGIH: The threshold limit value (TLV) is 0.00005 mg/m3 (as the inhalable fraction) averaged over an 8-hour Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 3 workshift, and 0.0002 mg/m (as the inhalable CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300 fraction) as a STEL (short term exposure limit). NJDEP Hotline: 1-877-927-6337 National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 f Beryllium Sulfate is a CARCINOGEN in humans. There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level. BERYLLIUM SULFATE Page 2 of 6 Determining Your Exposure Reproductive Hazard f While Beryllium Sulfate has been tested, further testing is f Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data required to assess its potential to cause reproductive harm. Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product ingredients and important safety and health information Other Effects about the product mixture. f Contact with broken skin can cause ulcers and/or lumps (nodules) to develop. f For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New f Exposure to Beryllium Sulfate dust can cause permanent Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact scars to develop in the lungs. Symptoms may include Sheet, available on the RTK website fatigue, shortness of breath, weight loss, and poor appetite. (www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb) or in your facility’s RTK These effects may occur months or years after exposure. In Central File or Hazard Communication Standard file. severe cases disability and heart failure occur. f You have a right to this information under the New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act, the Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act Medical if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the Medical Testing federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you For those with frequent or potentially high exposure (half the are a private worker. TLV or greater), the following are recommended before beginning work and at regular times after that: f The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and f Chest x-ray and lung function tests requires public employers to provide their employees with information concerning chemical hazards and controls. If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 following is recommended: CFR 1910.1200) and the PEOSH Hazard Communication f EKG Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) require employers to provide similar information and training to their employees. Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information damage already done are not a substitute for controlling regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right effects described below. to this information under the OSHA Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). Health Hazard Information Mixed Exposures Acute Health Effects f Smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer, The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur emphysema, and other respiratory problems. It may worsen immediately or shortly after exposure to Beryllium Sulfate: respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce f Beryllium Sulfate can irritate and burn the skin. your risk of developing health problems. f Eye contact can cause irritation, redness, itching and burning. f Inhaling Beryllium Sulfate can irritate the nose, throat and lungs causing nasal discharge, tightness in the chest, coughing, shortness of breath, and/or fever. Bronchitis and/or pneumonia may occur 1 to 2 days after high exposure. Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Beryllium Sulfate and can last for months or years: Cancer Hazard f Beryllium Sulfate is a CARCINOGEN in humans. There is evidence that Beryllium and Beryllium compounds cause lung cancer in humans and have been shown to cause lung cancer in animals. f Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen. BERYLLIUM SULFATE Page 3 of 6 Workplace Controls and Practices Eye Protection Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or f Wear eye protection with side shields or goggles. sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less f Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust Respiratory Protection ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control should only be used if the employer has implemented a written exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on program that takes into account workplace conditions, workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. medical exams, as described in the OSHA Respiratory The following work practices are also recommended: Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). f Label process containers. f Where the potential exists for exposure over 3 f Provide employees with hazard information and training. 0.00005 mg/m (as Beryllium), use a NIOSH approved f Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. negative pressure, air-purifying, particulate filter respirator f Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed with an N95 filter. More protection is provided by a full recommended exposure levels. facepiece respirator than by a half-mask respirator, and even f Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. greater protection is provided by a powered-air purifying f Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous respirator. material. f Leave the area immediately if (1) while wearing a filter or f Always wash at the end of the workshift. cartridge respirator you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect f Change into clean clothing if clothing becomes Beryllium Sulfate, (2) while wearing particulate filters contaminated. abnormal resistance to breathing is experienced, or (3) eye f Do not take contaminated clothing home. irritation occurs while wearing a full facepiece respirator. f Get special training to wash contaminated clothing. Check to make sure the respirator-to-face seal is still good. f Do not eat, smoke, or drink in areas where chemicals are If it is, replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer being handled, processed or stored. good, you may need a new respirator. f Wash hands carefully before eating, smoking, drinking, f Consider all potential sources of exposure in your workplace. applying cosmetics or using the toilet. You may need a combination of filters, prefilters or cartridges to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as vapor and mist) or against a mixture of chemicals. In addition, the following may be useful or required: 3 f Where the potential exists for exposure over 0.0005 mg/m f Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean- (as Beryllium), use a NIOSH approved supplied-air respirator up.