[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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