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Annals of Occupational Hygiene Advance Access originally published online on April 16, 2009
Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2009 53(4):363-372; doi:10.1093/annhyg/mep015
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society

Occupational Exposure to Beryllium in French Enterprises: A Survey of Airborne Exposure and Surface Levels

Raymond Vincent1,*, Jacques Catani2, Yvon Créau3, Anne-Marie Frocaut3, Andrée Good4, Pierre Goutet5, Alain Hou6, Fabrice Leray7, Marie-Ange André-Lesage8 and Alain Soyez9

1 Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité, F-54500 Vandoeuvre, France
2 Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-13 Marseille, France
3 Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-76 Rouen, France
4 Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-69 Lyon, France
5 East Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-54 Nancy, France
6 Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-33 Bordeaux, France
7 Interregional Laboratory of Chemistry, F-44 Nantes, France
8 Laboratory of Industrial Toxicity, F-75 Paris, France
9 Laboratory of Chemistry and Toxicology, F-59 Lille, France

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +33 3 83 50 21 92; fax: +33 3 83 50 20 60; e-mail: raymond.vincent{at}inrs.fr

An assessment survey of occupational exposure to beryllium (Be) was conducted in France between late 2004 and the end of 2006. Exposure estimates were based on the analytical results of samples collected from workplace air and from work surfaces in 95 facilities belonging to 37 sectors of activity. The results of this study indicated airborne Be concentrations in excess of the occupational exposure limit value of 2 µg m–3 recommended in France. Metallurgy and electronic component manufacturing represented the activities and occupations where workers had the highest arithmetic mean exposures to Be. Surface contamination levels were also high and frequently exceeded thresholds recommended by different bodies. These results should prompt the development of prevention programmes that include Be substitution, process control and surface decontamination, in conjunction with suitable medical surveillance.

Keywords: airborne • Be • exposure • occupational • surface

Received September 12, 2008; in final form January 14, 2009


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