Muller Caroline, Audusseau Séverine, Salehi Fariba, Truchon Ginette, Chevalier Gaston, Mazer Bruce, Kennedy Greg, Zayed Joseph
Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Toxicol Ind Health. 2010 Feb;26(1):39-45. doi: 10.1177/0748233709359276. Epub 2010 Jan 7.
Beryllium (Be) is used in several forms: pure metal, beryllium oxide, and as an alloy with copper, aluminum, or nickel. Beryllium oxide, beryllium metal, and beryllium alloys are the main forms present in the workplace, with inhalation being the primary route of exposure. Cases of workers with sensitization or chronic beryllium disease challenge the scientific community for a better understanding of Be toxicity. Therefore, a toxicological inhalation study using a murine model was performed in our laboratory in order to identify the toxic effects related to different particle sizes and chemical forms of Be. This article attempts to provide information regarding the relative effectiveness of the environmental monitoring and exposure protection program that was enacted to protect staff (students and researchers) in this controlled animal beryllium inhalation exposure experiment. This includes specific attention to particle migration control through intensive housekeeping and systematic airborne and surface monitoring. Results show that the protective measures applied during this research have been effective. The highest airborne Be concentration in the laboratory was less than one-tenth of the Quebec OEL (occupational exposure limit) of 0.15 microg/m(3). Considering the protection factor of 10(3) of the powered air-purifying respirator used in this research, the average exposure level would be 0.03 x 10(- 4) microg/m(3), which is extremely low. Moreover, with the exception of one value, all average Be concentrations on surfaces were below the Quebec Standard guideline level of 3 microg/100 cm(2) for Be contamination. Finally, all beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests for the staff were not higher than controls.
铍（Be）有多种存在形式：纯金属、氧化铍以及与铜、铝或镍的合金。氧化铍、铍金属和铍合金是工作场所中存在的主要形式，吸入是主要的接触途径。患有致敏或慢性铍病的工人案例促使科学界更好地了解铍的毒性。因此，我们实验室使用小鼠模型进行了一项毒理学吸入研究，以确定与铍的不同粒径和化学形式相关的毒性作用。本文试图提供有关在这个受控的动物铍吸入暴露实验中为保护工作人员（学生和研究人员）而制定的环境监测和暴露防护计划的相对有效性的信息。这包括通过强化清洁以及系统的空气和表面监测对颗粒迁移控制给予特别关注。结果表明，本研究中采取的保护措施是有效的。实验室中空气中铍的最高浓度低于魁北克职业接触限值（OEL）0.15微克/立方米的十分之一。考虑到本研究中使用的动力空气净化呼吸器的保护系数为10³，平均暴露水平将为0.03×10⁻⁴微克/立方米，这极低。此外，除了一个值外，表面上所有铍的平均浓度均低于魁北克铍污染标准指南水平3微克/100平方厘米。最后，工作人员的所有铍淋巴细胞增殖试验结果均不高于对照组。
