The Periodic Table of the Elements can be very sneaky.

It gives us the impression that all of these elements are made in nature and thus they are all only useful and do not need to be harmful. But then you have experiments with some of the elements, including mercury. You feel how heavy it is as a liquid, but yet you are told not to touch it with yoir hands or breathe it because of its toxicity. And yet it is everywhere in our thermometers and even in some of our new-fangled light bulbs.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons] Solvents have fumes that are known to cause health problems when inhaled for extended periods of time. But what if you have not been exposed to them for decades? Does the brain heal from high exposure to solvents and other chemicals? A recent Harvard study may shed some light.

[Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons] There are many elements on the Periodic Table that are very useful as byproducts of nature. But some of them, including beryllium, have a nasty side that can cause health problems with overexposure. OSHA is looking to address beryllium exposure by tightening the existing standard. Just by a little bit.

The point is that the Periodic Table is in our high school and college chemistry classes, looking all innocuous. But virtually every element on that table has its useful side but also its harmful side. Mercury is among many such element, not to mention the “precious” elements like gold, silver, copper and aluminum.

One of the more useful elements in manufacturing is an element called beryllium. However, for its usefulness, it also has a danger, which is inhaling it into your lungs. OSHA was made aware of the dangers of beryllium more than 60 years ago, and while a standard was put in place in th early 1970s, there is a push to get that standard updated as more and more information comes to light about the dangers of the dust, mist or fume that comes from the use of the element.

Even with the current OSHA standard for beryllium exposure, there are still about 100 deaths and 50 injuries every year blamed on exposure, as beryllium can cause a chronic lung problem and increases the chance of developing lung cancer. As OSHA continues to look for ways to greatly reduce workplace incidents and injuries, there has been a push from several industries to tighten the beryllium exposure standard.

The current standard is set at 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air. In August, OSHA introduced a revised beryllium exposure standard of 0.2 micrograms per cubic meter of air – an 10-fold tightening. Public comment on the new standard is being accepted through November 5 (OSHA Docket No. H005C-2006-0870), where  those who work around beryllium can give feedback as to the possible impact of such a tightened standard.

One of the things that would seem obvious would be that companies would have to offer better ventilation systems or more PPEs for their workers in order to keep them safe. The question might be, how much more of an investment in safety protocols and equipment  will it take to meet this new standard, which is 10 times more stringent that the original standard adopted in 1971? Will there be room for a phase-in period, or for a comprimised standard that is a little less stringent?

You can check out this link to get more information about the genesis of this revised OSHA standard, so you can get all the information you need before making comments and letting OSHA know what you think.