Advances in Identifying Beryllium Sensitization and Disease

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Dan Middleton¹ 

[1] Division of Health Studies, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, CDC Chamblee Campus, Building 106, 4770 Buford Highway NE Mail Stop F-57, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA

关键词: beryllium;    BeLPT;    beryllium sensitization;    BeS;    screening;    chronic beryllium disease;    CBD;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph7010115

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Beryllium is a lightweight metal with unique qualities related to stiffness, corrosion resistance, and conductivity. While there are many useful applications, researchers in the 1930s and l940s linked beryllium exposure to a progressive occupational lung disease. Acute beryllium disease is a pulmonary irritant response to high exposure levels, whereas chronic beryllium disease (CBD) typically results from a hypersensitivity response to lower exposure levels. A blood test, the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT), was an important advance in identifying individuals who are sensitized to beryllium (BeS) and thus at risk for developing CBD. While there is no true “gold standard” for BeS, basic epidemiologic concepts have been used to advance our understanding of the different screening algorithms.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2010 by the authors; licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland.