Environmental Health News
Highlights in Environmental Health Sciences Research
Beryllium Sensitization Leads to Chronic Disease Lee S. Newman, M.D.
Denver, Colorado
Background Advance : About half of individuals with sensitization already have CBD at the time of their first clinical evaluations. However, the time-lag between the two conditions is unknown. NIEHS-supported researchers recently conducted an epidemiologic study in 55 workers with beryllium sensitization. They found that over about four years of follow-up, 17 of the subjects developed CBD. The remaining 38 workers remained disease free after almost five years. Those workers that progressed to CBD were more likely to have worked as machinists than in other occupations, however, there were no differences in age, sex, race, smoking status, or beryllium exposure time between those who developed CBD and those that remained sensitized. Implications : This study demonstrates that beryllium sensitization is an adverse health effect that merits continued medical monitoring. It will be important to continue to follow the subjects in this study to determine if all sensitized workers eventually develop CBD and the extent to which the conditions of those with CBD worsen. Although the researchers could not identify when the beryllium sensitization initially occurred, the time period from first beryllium exposure to the development of CBD ranged from under four years to 45 years, indicating that people with beryllium sensitization have a life-long risk of developing CBD. | |
|
