CONTAMINANT: BERYLLIUM
ORIGIN: Moldex Technical Services Department
REVIEWED/UPDATED: August 2024
Overview
Beryllium is a potent and toxic metal, which can cause serious health effects including chronic beryllium disease and lung cancer. Workers can be exposed to beryllium in numerous workplaces including construction sites and shipyards where trace amounts of beryllium may be found in slags used for sandblasting. Beryllium is found in general industry such as beryllium metal and ceramic production, non-ferrous foundries and the fabrication of beryllium alloy products.
OSHA issued a final rule to protect workers exposed to beryllium in general industry (1910.1024), maritime (1915.1024) and construction (1926.1124). The action level is 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) has been lowered from 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air as an 8-hour TWA and a short short-term exposure limit (STEL) of 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter as determined over a sampling period of 15 minutes.
The standard covers various aspects of protection including, but not limited to protective clothing and respiratory protection. It generally requires that users who might be exposed above the PEL utilize respiratory protection. There are many other details found in this regulation, which should be reviewed.
The final element of the standard relating to engineering controls became enforceable on March 10, 2020.
Moldex® Solution
Moldex takes a conservative approach and suggests only N100 or P100 half face respirators, either disposable or reusable, for protection against beryllium up to 10X the PEL and a P100 filter disk used in conjunction with the 9000 Series full facepieces for levels up to 50X the PEL.
Reference
https://www.osha.gov/berylliumrule/index.html
From this site, the actual rule and other important information can be accessed.
Moldex Products:
Features
- New foam face cushion
- Soft, cloth SmartStrap® is both HANGABLE and ADJUSTABLE
- Metal-free
- Ventex® valve
Features
- Full foam face seal for added comfort and less pressure
- Dura-Mesh® shell resists collapsing in heat and humidity
- Contour molded nose bridge seals without a metal noseband
- 99.97% efficient against oil and non-oil based particulates
Features
- P100 Particulate Filter disk is lighter than traditional filter cartridges
- Wider field of vision because of low profile
- P100 can be used for both oil and non-oil based particulates
Features
- P100 Particulate Filter disk is lighter than traditional filter cartridges
- Wider field of vision because of low profile
- P100 can be used for both oil and non-oil based particulates
Features
- Packaged in a reusable storage bag
- Small, medium, and large sizes
WARNING: The information contained in this Tech Brief is dated and was accurate to the best of Moldex’s knowledge, on the date above. It is not meant to be comprehensive, nor is it intended to be used in place of the warning/use instructions that accompany Moldex respirators. Outside of the USA, check with all applicable and local government regulations.
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