Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry Summary

Twenty-seven sites and operating organizations submitted data to the Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry (BAWR) through September 20, 2011. Health data were collected through the operation of current worker medical surveillance programs for all 27 sites and organizations. Exposure data were collected through the operation of industrial hygiene programs for 22 sites and organizations that have continuing beryllium operations or cleanup efforts due to a legacy of beryllium from the past. Chronic beryllium disease prevention programs are operated on a site-wide basis that includes all employers on the site in some cases and in other cases each employer operates its own program.

The BAWR operating protocol specifies that reports be submitted every 6 months in January and July (see DOE-STD-1187-2007 for more information). Reports are submitted when new roster, medical testing, work history, and exposure data are available. This table provides an indication of whether there are ongoing CBD prevention program activities at a site and of the timeliness in reporting.

The figure above shows the cumulative numbers of beryllium-associated workers reported to the Registry by site. A total of 24,651 workers have been reported in rosters since 2002. Included are individuals who were screened for CBD or monitored for beryllium exposure while employed at a DOE site. Some of these individuals will have separated from employment since having been screened or monitored. Not included in these summaries are data from sites that have closed.

Beryllium-associated workers reported to the Registry are predominantly male. Reporting on gender was nearly complete with only 0.03 percent of the records failing to include information on gender.

The median age of beryllium-associated workers reported to the Registry exceeds 50 years. Reporting on age was nearly complete with only 0.04 percent of the records failing to include information on age.

As shown above, the age distribution of beryllium-associated workers is consistently skewed towards older workers at all sites.

The figure above shows the numbers of individuals by site whose exposures were assessed by an industrial hygienist at least once in 2011. Thirteen sites provided exposure monitoring results with monitoring dates in 2011. The number of individuals monitored is a function of the number of people working with beryllium or beryllium-contaminated facilities and equipment and the judgments and resources of the industrial hygiene programs responsible for monitoring their exposures.

The 10 CFR Part 850 CBD Prevention Program rule establishes a goal of “Minimizing the number of workers exposed and potentially exposed to beryllium.” This table provides an indication of the performance of sites in meeting that goal. Lags in reporting job end dates may result in overestimates. The reported work history data indicate that the majority of beryllium-associated workers continue to have jobs with duties that include performing tasks that have some potential for exposure to beryllium.

• Roster - The number of beryllium-associated employees with records indicating they were hired after 12/31/2007 and still employed.
• Work History - The number of beryllium-associated employees with records reporting a job start date for which the job end date is not reported or is later than 12/31/2007. Reported Work History are for employees that are working or have worked in beryllium exposure jobs, or for self-reported employees included in medical surveillance programs for beryllium.
• Exposure - The number of beryllium-associated employees with records reporting their beryllium exposure was monitored 1 or more times after 12/31/2007.
• Total Unique IDs - The total number of individuals reported in 1 or more of the 3 categories.
• NR - Not Reported (no records have been reported for this data element by this site).

This figure summarizes the numbers and percentages of total employees reported to the Registry, employees screened using BeLPT tests, employees found to be sensitized from 2 or more peripheral blood BeLPT tests or from a bronchoalveolar lavage BeLPT, and employees diagnosed as having CBD. Of the 24,651 individuals included in rosters of beryllium-associated workers, 19,625 have reported BeLPT results. Of those screened, 138 have been diagnosed as having CBD and another 382 are sensitized for a total of 520 (3 percent of those tested). The difference in numbers from the individuals reported in rosters to those with BeLPT results is due to a combination of individuals declining offers for medical screening and individuals for whom the BeLPT results are not accessible or not reported. Similarly, those reported as sensitized without CBD include those who underwent clinical evaluations and were found not to have any signs of lung pathology, those who declined the offer of a clinical evaluation, those whose clinical evaluation is pending, and those whose clinical evaluation results are not accessible or not reported.

The total number of BeLPT results reported to the Registry is 62,397. The figure above shows the numbers of BeLPT results reported by each site. The number of BeLPT results is an indicator of the number of periodic medical screening examinations for CBD provided by DOE contractor-operated occupational medicine clinics. Individuals currently working with beryllium are offered screening examinations every year, and individuals who worked with beryllium in the past are offered screening examinations every 3 years. Individuals who have abnormal results are offered confirmatory testing that involves splitting blood samples, which are then tested in 2 laboratories.

This table shows the cumulative numbers of beryllium-associated workers reported to the Registry who have been screened using BeLPT testing, have BeLPT results indicating they are “sensitized,” or have been diagnosed with CBD. These numbers are shown in total and by site, and do not include individuals who were screened or diagnosed with CBD after separating from employment at a DOE site.

Beryllium-associated workers are overwhelmingly long-term workers and, as a result, sensitization and CBD cases occur primarily among individuals who have worked for many years. However, 50 sensitized cases and 5 CBD cases have occurred among individuals hired since January 2001, and new cases continue to be reported.

This table shows the initial positive screening results among cases who were eventually diagnosed as either beryllium sensitized (BeS) or CBD. Recent positive screening results among long-term workers may be due to false-positive results on initial tests, a latency period between exposure and development of BeS, or as a result of recent exposure.

The table above reports the numbers of beryllium sensitization and CBD cases sorted by work history activity. Work activities are a high level rollup of job functions. Individuals are placed in a group by site personnel based on the following descriptions:

• Management – Predominately office work at a desk, first level supervisor and above.
• Administrative Support – Predominately office work at a desk; however, can include tasks that involve visiting, production areas, shops, and laboratories. This category includes, but is not limited to, information technology, clerical, and secretarial staff.
• In-House Professionals – Predominately office work at a desk, typically without supervisory responsibilities. Occasional tasks outside their offices create opportunities for exposure.
• Field Professionals – Frequently work outside of their offices in areas such as, but not limited to, laboratories, testing areas, and construction areas.
• Technical Support – Workers who typically support the field professionals and have hands-on work situations.
• Service – Typically includes, but is not limited to, custodians, drivers, laundry workers, stationary engineers, and utility workers. These workers support and maintain the facility’s infrastructure. Most work is not performed sitting at a desk.
• Security & Fire – Typically includes protective forces and firefighters.
• Crafts – Typically includes building trades, laborers, and other workers whose job titles are defined by the bargaining unit to which they belong.
• Line Operators – Typically workers who are directly involved in process, operation, or line activities at the facility.
• Guests – Employees on short-term assignments or internships. Typically includes guest scientists, postdoctoral fellows, co-op students, and interns. Potential for exposure dependent on job assignment.
• Unknown – Job title is missing.

Medical monitoring results for beryllium sensitization and CBD and beryllium exposure monitoring results are weakly correlated (Pearson product moment correlation coefficient = 0.53). A likely explanation for this is that the sensitization and CBD being detected are due to past working conditions rather than those currently being monitored. However, it is also possible that monitoring programs are missing significant sources of exposure that are ongoing. Sites with low exposure monitoring results and high sensitization and CBD rates can investigate cases to determine if the possibility of ongoing exposure can be ruled out.

Participating sites have submitted 68,929 exposure monitoring records to the Beryllium-Associated Worker Registry (BAWR). The majority of these results (88.1 percent) were “non-detectable,” which indicates that sample analysis results were less than the laboratory’s reporting limit. The reporting limit can vary from sample to sample because of differing flow rates of the sampling equipment used and because of the presence of other materials on the sample that can interfere with the analysis. Reporting limits typically vary from 0.01 to 0.05 μg/m³, which is one-twentieth to one-quarter of the action level of 0.2 μg/m³.
   

The metrics are distribution-free product limit estimates of percent exceeding, which are used to accommodate the high percentage of non-detect results in these data sets. Non-detected values greater than 0.2 μg/m³ were excluded from this analysis. For details see “Statistical Methods and Software for the Analysis of Occupational Exposure Data with Non-detectable Values,” Frome EL and Wambach PF, ORNL/TM-2005/52, http://www.hss.energy.gov/HealthSafety/IIPP/hserices/statmethods.pdf.

This figure is a DOE-wide rollup of 8-hour time weighted average personal exposure monitoring results. These data indicate that the CBD prevention programs being operated at DOE sites have achieved a high level of compliance with the 10 CFR 850 action level of 0.2 μg/m³ since 2004.
   

This table provides additional summary statistics for the DOE-wide rollup of 8-hour time weighted average personal exposure monitoring results. Arithmetic mean, 95^th percentile, and percent exceeding metrics are Kaplan-Meier product limit estimates. The very high percent of non-detected results from workplaces compliant with the 0.2 μg/m³ action level points to the need to develop more sensitive exposure monitoring methods to support estimates of individuals’ actual exposure levels. The number of exposure monitoring results and number of individuals monitored indicate that sites have been expanding their exposure monitoring and control efforts.

Shown above are exposure data grouped by work activity for years 2002 through 2011. The work activities are the high level rollup of job functions used in table “Work History Activity for Employees that Are “Sensitized” and CBD.” For the Administrative and Security & Fire groups there were no values above the action level.

This table provides additional summary statistics for 8-hour time weighted average exposure monitoring results grouped by work activity. The Crafts category contains 47 percent of the measurements included in this analysis (25,045 of 53,592). The Tech Support, Service, Not Reported, and Guests categories have significantly higher exceedance rates than the rates for all categories combined. The Guests category includes fixed-price subcontractor employees on site for short periods of time.

In the first half of 2011 the Service category had significantly higher exceedance rates than the rates for all categories combined.

The figure above provides an indication of differences in exposure level for individuals with job titles that were grouped together in the Craft work activity category. HVAC Mechanics, Waste-Management Mechanics, Painters, Carpenters, Plumbers & Fitters, and Machinists have exceedance rates significantly higher than all Crafts combined.

This table provides additional summary statistics for Craft job titles. As data in the BAWR mature they support analyses that provide more specific guidance on the degree of risk.

This figure summarizes 8-hour time weighted average exposure monitoring results by site. Exceedance rates at ANL and Y-12 were significantly higher than those for all sites combined.

This table provides additional summary statistics for DOE sites reporting exposure data to the BAWR. While the majority of sites have acceptable sampling programs, these data show that some sites could revisit their sampling strategies and consider increasing the number of samples taken. Exceedance rates at ANL and Y-12 were significantly higher than those for all sites combined.

Only Y-12 reported results above the action level in 2011. The upper confidence limit is above 5 percent at sites that reported fewer than 59 sampling results in 2011.

American Recovery Act funding for beryllium decontamination and decommissioning work at the Y-12 National Security Complex led to extensive exposure monitoring in 2011.

Exceedances in 2011 were primarily associated with decontamination and decommissioning work at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Work planning processes had identified the potential beryllium exposures and workers were wearing appropriate respiratory protection.