Ohio Citizen Action today called on the Boy Scouts of America to halt the sales of their beryllium Eagle Scout ring and recall all beryllium-containing jewelry sold by their organization. Beryllium is a deadly metal. Beryllium is also used in military hardware, electronics, dental work, and automobiles.
Beryllium is a hard, lightweight metal with an unusually high melting point.
Brush Wellman, Inc., headquartered in Cleveland, is the largest producer of beryllium in the country. People exposed to beryllium dust or fumes can develop chronic beryllium disease, an incurable lung ailment. A recent report by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that nearly one-tenth of Brush Wellman's workforce at their Elmore, Ohio plant has beryllium disease or has blood test results indicating they risked for developing it. Ohio Citizen Action believes workers handling beryllium in other industries are unaware of the health dangers posed by the metal. The workers who make the beryllium Eagle Scout ring are in danger of developing and dying from beryllium disease.