Beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal that is very strong and easy to shape.
Approximately 7,300 former DOE and contractor workers employed at Pantex were sent letters in April inviting them to participate in the screenings, which are scheduled to being in late May and will continue until all interested workers have been screened. All results will be confidential and only made available to the worker and the physicians, nurses, and scientists conducting the screenings. The blood test, called a lymphocyte proliferation test, shows whether a person is sensitized, or allergic, to beryllium. Testing at other DOE sites has identified beryllium sensitization and CBD in individuals who had only minimal opportunity for exposure to beryllium. Employees in jobs more closely identified with beryllium exposure, such as machinists, air-filter technicians, and metallurgical operators, have an even higher prevalence of CBD and sensitization.