[time-nuts] beryllium oxide
David Forbes
dforbes at dakotacom.net
Fri Jan 16 17:29:16 UTC 2009
Brooke Clarke wrote:
> Hi Bruce:
>
> Why is beryllium oxide a problem when it's already in a product?
>
> I believe the danger is something similar to asbestos where inhaling large
> amounts it is the problem. Shipyard workers applying loose asbestos to pipes
> and boilers inhaled the material all during there work day and ended up with
> medical problems. I've heard that electronics workers that made products from
> beryllium oxide also suffered medical problems. They were breathing a lot of
> the dust. Mechanics who grind brake material will have no problem from
> asbestos just as motorists since the "fish hooks" are no longer present in the
> asbestos dust. I used to have a sheet of asbestos that fit into the oven and
> was used to bake bread. It's OK to eat asbestos and probably beryllium oxide.
> There's a disused hotel on our main street that's a brick building heated
> with a steam boiler with the whole system insulated with asbestos. It's a real
> (expensive) problem to remove that asbestos in a way safe for the person doing
> it and doing all the needed OSH paperwork. I believe the cost to remove the
> asbestos far exceeds the economic value of the building and the land it's
> sitting on. In time that will change.
>
> Don't see any problem related to (beryllium oxide) oscillator disposal. Can
> you elaborate?
>
> Have Fun,
>
> Brooke Clarke
> http://www.prc68.com
>
> Bruce Griffiths wrote:
> . . .
>> However there are a few OCXOs that use beryllium oxide within them,
>> these are usually labelled as such and no attempt at reverse engineering
>> should be made.
>> I have one of these lying around.
>> Safe disposal of such devices is also problematic.
>>
>> Bruce
Brooke,
My wife is getting a degree in public health and has investigated this stuff. We
have a local Brush factory that makes products from beryllium oxide. It does
cause some of the workers to get a type of lung disease, in spite of the air
handling systems they have in place.
My wife told me that there has been a notable, documented incidence of beryllium
disease in the OSHA inspectors who check the plants for compliance. So it's not
safe even to have a job making sure it's safe!
The exposure prevention method is to never breathe the dust. That means keeping
it wet or encapsulated at all times. A single particle of beryllium in the right
place at the right time can be enough to cause problems.
So yeah, don't mess with beryllium oxide.
--David Forbes, Tucson AZ
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