Beryllium and compounds

CASRN 7440-41-7

Toxicological Review (PDF) (94 pp, 320 K)
IRIS Summary (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K)
Status: Beryllium and compounds is not being reassessed by IRIS at this time.

Key IRIS Values
History

Health Hazard Assessments for Effects Other than Cancer

Reference Dose for Oral Exposure (RfD) (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K) last updated: 04/03/1998

RfD (mg/kg-day)	System	Basis	PoD	Composite UF	Confidence
2 x10^-3	Gastrointestinal	Small intestinal lesions	BMD₁₀ : 4.6 x10^-1 mg/kg-day	300	Low/Medium

Reference Concentration for Inhalation Exposure (RfC) (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K) last updated: 04/03/1998

RfC (mg/m³)	System	Basis	PoD	Composite UF	Confidence
2 x10^-5	Immune, Respiratory	Beryllium sensitization and progression to CBD	LOAEL (HEC): 2.0 x10^-4 mg/m³	10	Medium

Cancer Assessment

Weight of Evidence for Cancer (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K) last updated: 04/03/1998

WOE Characterization	Framework for WOE Characterization
B1 (Probable human carcinogen - based on limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans)	Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (US EPA, 1986)
Carcinogenic potential cannot be determined (Oral route)	Proposed Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (US EPA, 1996)
Known/likely human carcinogen (Inhalation route)	Proposed Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment (US EPA, 1996)

Basis:

B1; probable human carcinogen. Based on the limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans exposed to airborne beryllium (lung cancer) and sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals (lung cancer in rats and monkeys inhaling beryllium, lung tumors in rats exposed to beryllium via intratracheal instillation, and osteosarcomas in rabbits and possibly mice receiving intravenous or intramedullary injection), beryllium is reclassified from a B2 (inadequate human data) to a B1 probable human carcinogen (limited human data) using criteria of the 1986 Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment. Using the 1996 proposed Guidelines for Carcinogen Risk Assessment, inhaled beryllium would be characterized as a "likely" carcinogen in humans, and the human carcinogenic potential of ingested beryllium cannot be determined.
This may be a synopsis of the full weight-of-evidence narrative.

Quantitative Estimate of Carcinogenic Risk from Oral Exposure (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K)

Information reviewed but value not estimated.

Quantitative Estimate of Carcinogenic Risk from Inhalation Exposure (PDF) (51 pp, 284 K)

Inhalation Unit Risk: 2.4 x10^-3 per µg/m³
Extrapolation Method: Relative risk
Tumor site(s): Respiratory
Tumor type(s): Lung cancer (Wagoner et al., 1980)