A deadly metal Beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal used in the defense industry, the automotive industry, the dental industry, electronics, golf clubs, computers and cellular phones. Brush Wellman, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of beryllium in the country. Headquartered in Cleveland, Brush has a processing plant in Elmore, near Toledo. Working with beryllium creates a toxic dust. People exposed to beryllium dust can develop chronic beryllium disease or develop lung cancer.
Beryllium disease is often fatal and there is no cure.
Over 1,200 Americans have contracted this disease, according to researchers estimates. In Ohio, at least 75 current or former Brush Wellman workers have the disease and 17 have died. An additional 55 Brush workers have an abnormal blood test - a sign they may develop the illness. Government health officials and industry leaders have known for more than 50 years that the safety standards for beryllium are inadequate. Last September, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a hazardous information bulletin to warn workers that the current safety standards may not protect their health.