On Monday, the group mailed 700 citizen letters to the Cleveland-based company, Ms. Ogdahl said. Brush Wellman spokesman Hugh Hanes said he would not comment on Ohio Citizen Action's concerns because he has not seen details in writing. He said the company is preparing a response to the request for a meeting. The articles detailed how the U.S. government and Brush Wellman risked the lives of thousands of workers by knowingly allowing them to be exposed to unsafe levels of beryllium dust. Many of these workers became ill, and some died.
Beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal used in the defense, auto, and electronics industries.
When the metal is manufactured or machined, a toxic dust is created that can cause a potentially fatal lung disease. Numerous people living near beryllium plants in Lorain, O., and Reading, Pa., were diagnosed as having the disease in the 1940s and 1950s, even though they had never worked at the facilities. No neighbor of the Elmore plant has been diagnosed as having the disease, but no study has been conducted. Ohio Citizen Action said it is time for Brush to test Elmore plant neighbors for the disease. Ms. Ogdahl said.