Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry 
Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) 

Beryllium Toxicity
How to Use This Course

Introduction

The goal of Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) is to increase the primary care provider’s knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment and to help in evaluation and treating of potentially exposed patients. This CSEM focuses on beryllium toxicity.

Available Versions

Two versions of the Beryllium Toxicity CSEM are available.

• The HTML version http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/beryllium/ provides content through the Internet.
• The downloadable PDF version provides content in an electronic, printable format, especially for those who may lack adequate Internet service.

Instructions

To make the most effective use of this course:

• Take the Initial Check to assess your current knowledge about beryllium toxicity.
• Read the title, learning objectives, text, and key points in each section.
• Complete the progress check exercises at the end of each section and check your answers.
• Complete and submit your assessment and posttest response online if you wish to obtain continuing education credit. Continuing education certificates can be printed immediately upon completion.

Instructional Format

This course is designed to help you learn efficiently. Topics are clearly labeled so that you can skip sections or quickly scan sections you are already familiar with. This labeling will also allow you to use this training material as a handy reference. To help you identify and absorb important content quickly, each section is structured as follows:

Title

Serves as a “focus question” that you should be able to answer after completing the section

Learning Objectives

Describes specific content addressed in each section and focuses your attention on important points

Text

Provides the information you need to answer the focus question(s) and achieve the learning objectives

Key Points

Highlights important issues and helps you review

Progress Check exercises

Enables you to test yourself to determine whether you have mastered the learning objectives

Progress Check answers

Provides feedback to ensure you understand the content and can locate information in the text

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the Beryllium Toxicity CSEM, you should be able to:

Exposure Pathways

• Describe beryllium’s properties.
• Describe how people are exposed to beryllium.

Standards and Regulations

• Describe the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for beryllium.
• Describe the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation for beryllium emissions in air.

Populations at Risk

• Identify the populations most heavily exposed to beryllium.
• Identify who is at risk of exposure to beryllium in the home.
• Name a marker of genetic susceptibility to beryllium exposure.

Health Effects

• Describe two mechanisms of injury resulting from beryllium exposure.
• Describe the health conditions associated with beryllium exposure.

Clinical Assessment

• Describe chest radiograph findings associated with beryllium-related diseases.
• Describe pulmonary function test findings associated with beryllium-related diseases.
• Identify other tests that can assist with diagnosis of beryllium-related diseases.

Treatment and Management

• Identify what patients should be treated.
• Identify the primary drug for treatment of chronic beryllium disease (CBD).
• Describe possible sequelae of chronic beryllium disease.