About 10 percent of people sensitized to the metal develop chronic beryllium disease within a year, doctors concluded after studying workers there. Beryllium, an exotic metal, was used in an alloy to close the ends of nuclear reactor fuel rods at Hanford between 1960 and 1986. Although it's no longer used, beryllium may still be present in some buildings in places such as fume hoods and exhaust ducts. The majority of people aren't bothered by the metal, but some people who breathe in small particles of the metal develop an allergylike sensitivity that can be detected with a blood test. Those with the sensitivity may develop chronic beryllium disease, an often disabling disease marked by scarring of the lungs.
Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing, tiredness, weight loss and excessive phlegm.
The illness can be fatal if not treated. But if it is caught early, steroids and other therapies can be used to improve breathing and slow its progression. At Rocky Flats, more machining of the metal was done, which could account for the apparent higher rate of conversion of beryllium sensitivity to beryllium disease. We haven't characterized it as well as at Rocky Flats. There the first case was in 1988, so they've had 12 years to work on it.