One worker who requested anonymity said he thought the company is offering the medical tests because of pressure from The Blade's recent investigative series on the beryllium industry. After the articles were published, he said, several workers requested the blood tests. But the Brush spokesman said the testing had been planned for some time and is part of a larger program to screen workers throughout the company. And in 1996, after an inspection of the plant, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommended that Brush offer blood tests to the workers. OSHA said no regulation required such testing, but the agency thought the screening would be prudent.
Beryllium is a strong, lightweight metal used in nuclear bombs and other weapons.
In addition, it is used in the automotive, electronics, and telecommunications industries. Cleveland-based Brush reports that 142 of its workers have contracted beryllium disease since the 1940s, including 53 at the Elmore plant. Experts estimate 1,200 cases nationwide in all industries. Brush's Pennsylvania plant rolls and cuts beryllium-copper alloy. Since the plant opened in 1958, only one worker there has been diagnosed with beryllium disease, and that was in the 1980s.