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Unified Agenda - Table of Contents |
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1620. OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO BERYLLIUM Priority: Economically Significant. Major under 5 USC 801. Unfunded Mandates: Undetermined Legal Authority: 29 USC 655(b); 29 USC 657 CFR Citation: 29 CFR 1910 Legal Deadline: None Abstract: OSHA intends to issue a Request for Information and to evaluate the extensive research related to the mechanisms of disease underlying Chronic Beryllium Disease or beryllium sensitization and to identify the best ways of reducing employee exposure to beryllium. OSHA will also be identifying processes, industries, and kind of businesses that involve the use of beryllium. This information is necessary if OSHA is to develop a rule to reduce worker exposure to dust or fumes from beryllium metal, metal oxides, or alloys, all of which may cause serious and sometimes fatal lung disease (chronic beryllium disease (CBD), lung cancer, and skin disease). In 1999 and in 2001, OSHA was petitioned to issue an emergency temporary standard by the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical, and Energy Workers Union (PACE), Public Citizen Health Research group and others. The Agency denied these petitions but stated its intent to work on a standard to be issued under section 6(b)(5) of the Act to protect workers from beryllium-related disease. Before OSHA can do so, however, it needs a substantial amount of information on beryllium's toxicity, risks, and patterns of use. The Request for Information will be designed to obtain this information.
Government Levels Affected: Undetermined Agency Contact: Steven F. Witt, Director, Directorate of Health Standards Programs, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N3718, 200 Constitution Avenue NW, FP Building, Washington, DC 20210 Phone: 202 693-1950 Fax: 202 693-1678 RIN: 1218-AB76 | |||||||||||||||
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Unified Agenda - Table of Contents |