Beryllium Exposure Studies and Testing -
Beryllium Laboratory
A key component to the beryllium screening process is the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (Be LPT). The Be LPT is a blood test used to detect a person’s sensitivity to beryllium. The state-certified ORISE beryllium lab in Oak Ridge, Tenn., is one of only five laboratories in the United States certified to perform the Be LPT.
Operation of the lab is a model of teamwork, cooperation, routine, and precision. It takes approximately 10 days from the time the lab receives blood samples from a subject until the final report on those samples is prepared. The process begins when three tubes of blood from a subject are received either via overnight delivery from a clinic outside of Oak Ridge, or drawn in the lab itself.
Each blood sample is processed such that the white cells, or mononuclear lymphocytes can be collected. It is the reaction of the white cells to beryllium that indicates the subject’s sensitivity or the possibility of having chronic beryllium disease (CBD).
Each subject’s cells are subjected to three different tests: (1) a five-day incubation, (2) a seven-day incubation, and (3) a control test of five days. The cell cultures are inoculated with tritiated thymidine, which has a slight concentration of radioactive tritium bound in its chemical structure. If the subject has been sensitized to beryllium, the samples exposed to beryllium will have grown significantly more than the non-exposed samples (the controls), and will register a significantly higher level of radioactivity.
Ideally, the test produces one of two results:
- If there is no increased growth in the white cells in the presence of beryllium, the patient is not sensitized and the results are considered "normal."
- If there is an increased level of growth in the inoculated cells the test is recorded as "abnormal." Anyone who tests "abnormal" is offered a retest to double-check the results.
If the second test is also "abnormal," the patient is may receive further evaluation through the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, administered by the Department of Labor.
All procedures are performed according to the protocol specified by the U.S. Department of Energy (note: you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file. A free copy may be downloaded from the Adobe Web site).
