INSTITUTE OF OCCUPATIONAL MEDICINE . Edinburgh . UK www.iom-world.org

Health and economic impacts associated with introducing

an OEL for beryllium

John Cherrie for the SHEcan Research Team

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Summary…

• The SHEcan project• Evaluation of 25 candidate substances for

changes to the Carcinogens & Mutagens Directive

• Beryllium• Estimated baseline health and socioeconomic

impacts• The effect of setting an exposure limit

• The results for Be in the context of the other substances evaluated• Our recommendations to the EC

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SHEcan

• A project for the EC DG Employment to undertake a Socioeconomic, Health and Environmental impact assessment

• Basis for developing plans to update the Carcinogens Directive• Prime focus was the impact of introducing new

Occupational Exposure Limits

• Collaboration involved IOM, Imperial College, AMEC, with assistance from other scientists

Methodology…

• Exposure levels reliant on stakeholder data or when unavailable published sources

• Risk assessment reliant on epidemiological studies or analogy

• Health impact carried out using the methodology developed for the British cancer burden study

• Socioeconomic assessment based on EC guidance

EPICOH SHEcan Mini-Symposium

Summary of results…

In Annex III

OELs Suggested by EC

Process generated

Typical OELs

EPICOH SHEcan Mini-Symposium

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Beryllium…

• We selected 2 μg/m3 as a typical European OEL

• For risk estimates used Ward et al (1992) • High exposed groups used the smoking-

adjusted SMR for the entire cohort = 1.12• Medium = 1.03, based excluding high-risk

plants• Low (background) exposed groups risk = 1

• Exposure information provided by industry

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Cardiff AWE personal sampling…

We assumed that exposure decreased 4% per year

Johnson et al. (2001). Beryllium Exposure Control Program at the Cardiff Atomic Weapons Establishment in the United Kingdom. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hyg; 16(5): 619-630.

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Baseline health assessment…

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Baseline assessment

99% compliance with OEL

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Introducing an OEL of 2 µg/m3 would…• Require further investment for 6% and 12%

of companies involved in handling beryllium or beryllium alloys. • Assumed that only 10% can achieve compliance

using best practice measures • Others will need improved local ventilation

• The total cost of implementing changes was judged to be €5-34bn, calculated over the period up to 2069

• Total benefits estimated as €11m - €30m

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Recommendations…• Respirable crystalline silica• Chrome VI• Hardwood dust• Diesel engine exhaust• Rubber fume• Benzo[a]pyrene• Trichloroethylene• Hydrazine• Epichlorohydrin• O-Toluidine• Mineral oils as used engine oil• MDA

Strong case

A case

A limited case

Uncertainty

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Conclusions…• Little evidence for any important health

impact from current and relatively recent past exposure to beryllium

• Less than about 10 cases of lung cancer per year across the whole EU

• Very high cost of complying with a limit of 0.002 mg/m3

• No case for further intervention for beryllium

Our summary report is available at… http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=716&langId=en

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