Beryllium Essay

1066 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Research report beryllium

Beryllium is a naturally occurring element, it’s found in rocks and soil, especially in beryl and bertrandite rock. It was discovered by a chemist named Vaquelin in 1798. It is the fourth element of the periodic table. The purified beryllium is a grey, extremely lightweight and hard metal, it is a good conductor of electricity and heat, and is non-magnetic. (Studios, 2017) [7] Beryllium is used in high-technology products, such as aerospace components, transistors, nuclear reactors, and golf clubs. ("Beryllium health and environment", 2017) [1] Emerald is an exquisite form of beryllium mineral having traces of chromium that add a green hue to the stone. ("Beryllium", 2017) [2] Source: (Studios, A. R. (n.d.). Beryllium [Digital image]) [12] …show more content…

Contact with beryllium in its innate forms is not known to cause negative health effects. Industrial activities like coal incineration, and home heating oil or the processing of earth-based ingredients into stuff such as fertilizers can also release beryllium into air and water. ("Beryllium Found in the Environment", 2017) [3] Beryllium in soil can pass into the plants grown on it, provided it in a soluble form. Typical levels in plants vary between 1 and 40 ppb, too low to affect animals which eat these plants. ("Berryllium (Be) - Chemical properties, Health and Environmental effects", 2017) …show more content…

Other potential exposures to beryllium in the general population from consumer products are limited but may include leaching of beryllium from beryllium–nickel dental alloys (Covington et al., 1985) and emission of beryllium from the mantle of gas lanterns (Griggs, 1973). Non-occupational beryllium contact-sensitivity has been reported in individuals fitted with beryllium-containing dental prostheses. (Leslie Galloway/ UTK/ORNL/Template design: G. Wolfgang / June 8, 2017) [8] Beryllium toxicity is mainly an occupational disease linked to processing of beryllium via exposure to beryllium dust or fumes in the industries. Historically beryllium poisoning occurred, during the production of fluorescent and neon lamps when beryllium was used to coat their inner surface. In these circumstances secondary cases of occupational beryllium poisoning occurred in the families of workers via dust carried home in clothing (Hardy, 1965). Airborne particles of beryllium metal, alloys, oxides, and ceramics are the key route of human exposure. Beryllium particles are respired into the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Hand-to-mouth exposures and skin contact with ultrafine particles can likewise happen. ("Beryllium", 2017) [2] Beryllium and its compounds are poisonous and cancer-causing. It is not good even in low doses as it causes temporary health problems such as eye and skin irritation. ("Beryllium - Element information,

Show More
Related

  • Radium (Ra) Of The Poisoner's Book Summary

    218 Words  | 1 Pages

    In chapter 8 titled "Radium (Ra)" of The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum, the most interesting story developed within this chapter was the death of dial workers at Orange, New Jersey after been exposed to radium every day. It was interesting due to the fact that radium was used everywhere in the community and was never thought it could harm anyone. Radium was a super element that was used everywhere, but its continuous use unmasked its fatal habits. As it was stated in the text, "Radiant health, the ads proclaimed-beautiful skin, endless vigor, and eternal health—ingesting radium seemed the next best thing to drinking sunlight." (Blum 179). People were accepting radium as a natural gold element but they haven't realized constant contact

    Read More

  • Calcium Research Paper

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    When and how the element was discovered including who discovered it and the circumstances and/or investigations that lead to them discovering the element?

    Read More

  • Chemical Control Agents Used Against the Gypsy Moth

    1697 Words  | 4 Pages

    There seems to be a low level of concern regarding human B.t.k. exposure, although B.t.k. formulations have caused eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritations, especially in ground workers. Some claims reveal that a majority of these workers were not equipped with ...

    Read More

  • The Element Lanthanum

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lanthanum (La) is a member of the rare earth elements (REEs), which consist of a group of 15 trivalent metallic elements with similar properties. Lanthanum is mostly dangerous in the working environment, due to the fact that damps and gasses can be inhaled with air. This can cause lung embolism, especially during long-term exposure. Lanthanum can also cause cancer with humans, as it enlarges the chances of lung cancer when it is inhaled. Finally, it can be a threat to the liver when it accumulates in the human body.

    Read More

  • Beryllium

    6071 Words  | 13 Pages

    Beryllium is a highly toxic metal and if exposed to it, at or above the threshold values, it can lead to a chronic beryllium disease (CBD) (i.e. berylliosis) or an acute beryllium disease. Toxic exposure to beryllium is most often thru an inhalation pathway. Beryllium has a variety of effects. Some beryllium combines with a protein and is deposited in the liver, spleen and kidneys, but the beryllium when bound with a biological protein, a hapten, can result in the chronic form of the disease which is believed to be a delayed hypersensitivity immune response. The major toxicological effects of beryllium are on the respiratory tract,specifically the lungs and their alveoli.

    Read More

  • Barium

    503 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barium is a soft, heavy, silver-colored metal element. This element does not have very many uses outside of the laboratory, but it combines easily with other chemicals to form compounds used for important industrial uses. For example, Barium carbonate is used in the manufacture of ceramics and special glass, and also to purify certain chemical solutions. It is also an ingredient in clay slurries, also known as water muds, used in drilling oil wells. Barium titanate is used in sonar detectors and other electrical equipment. At low doses, barium acts as a muscle stimulant and at higher doses affects the nervous system eventually leading to paralysis. Acute and subchronic oral doses of barium cause vomiting and diarrhea, followed by decreased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Higher doses result in cardiac irregularities, weakness, tremors, anxiety, and dyspnea. A drop in serum potassium may account for some of the symptoms. Death can occur from cardiac and respiratory failure. Acute doses around 0.8 grams can be fatal to humans. Barium nitrate makes signal flares burn with a green flame. Barium ferrite is used to make magnets. Barium sulfate is an extremely insoluble barium compound that is not poisonous. Doctors use it in X-ray examinations of a patient's digestive system. The barium sulfate absorbs X rays to show an outline of the intestines on the developed film. A barium enema is performed to examine the walls of the colon. During the procedure, a well lubricated enema tube is inserted gently into the rectum. The barium is then allowed to flow into the colon. The flow of the barium is monitored by the health care provider on an X-ray fluoroscope screen. The test is used to detect colon cancer. The barium enema may also be used to diagnose and evaluate the extent of inflammatory bowel diseases. Barium sulfate and zinc sulfide form lithopone, a white coloring matter for paint. Barium is never found in a pure state because it combines so easily with other elements. Pure barium is obtained by passing an electric current through a fused barium compound, such as barium chloride. A piece of barium metal quickly reacts with oxygen and water vapor in the air to form barium oxide. It must be stored under kerosene to keep it pure. Barium is found most often as barium sulfate in the mineral barite. The chemical symbol for barium is Ba.

    Read More

  • Aluminum Essay

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    This article is about an experiment done to try to see if Aluminum can cause resistance in potatoes to a disease. Aluminum is commonly found in arid soils which accounts for 35% of all farmable on earth. The aluminum (specifically Al3+) targets the roots of the plants and causes stunted plant growth and abnormal root formation. THis causes stresses in the plant which could lead to cross resistance. This immunity has led to some plants to develop cross resistance to diseases. THis has happened before in the plant, an example is the fact that ozone induces resistance to the tobacco mosaic virus in tobacco plants. This phenomenon is what is being tested for in potato plants. Potato plants will be subjected to infections from Phytophthora

    Read More

  • Superfund Case Study

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    Technetium, as with other radioactive material there is the chance of cancer, and other health conditions from exposure to radioactivity.

    Read More

  • Beringia Research Paper

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is Beringia? Beringia, also known as, The Bering Strait, is a massive landmass that the first americans crossed over to get to the Americas during the first Ice Age, about 2.6 million years ago. The time period known as Pleistocene Ice Age is when the first Ice Age happened. Many glaciers covered the sea and lowered the sea level about 300 feet. The land that is now covered by water became dry land. This resulted in the massive landmass that connected the continents of Asia and North America. This land bridge formed a flat, grassy, treeless plain that the first Americans used to migrate to the Americas. When the Earth passed into its climate warming cycle, the glaciers began to melt. The melted water levels rose, and submerged Beringia once again.

    Read More

  • Essay On Thermochemistry

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Aluminum is slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), non-hazardous in case of ingestion, and non-hazardous in case of inhalation.

    Read More

  • Lead

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lead and lead compounds can be highly toxic when eaten or inhaled. Although lead is absorbed very slowly into the body, its rate of excretion is even slower. Thus, with constant exposure, lead accumulates gradually in the body. It is absorbed by the red blood cells and circulated through the body where it becomes concentrated in the soft tissues, especially the liver and kidneys. Lead can cause damage in the central nervous system and apparently can damage the cells making up the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain from many harmful chemicals.

    Read More

  • Lead Poisoning Essay

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many contributing factors that enhance the amount of lead in the environment, for instance, environmental lead occurs from the burning of leaded gasoline, from battery and smelter industries and it’s also found in ink and paper. Additionally, many canned food products are sealed with lead solder (Analytical Research Laboratories, 2012). Due to the vast quantity of lead found in the environment, exposure is inevitable. On the contrary, there are three main ways in which lead can enter the body: inhalation, ingestion or absorption through the skin. It may be inhaled when it is burned or melted, releasing some of the lead as a fume and or when dust that contains lead becomes airborne. In terms of ingestion, lead may be ingested through drinking water, when dust particles containing lead come in contact with food or food preparation surfaces, etc. In particular cases that inv...

    Read More

  • Types of Silica

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    HEALTH EFFECTS OF CRYSTALLINE SILICA EXPOSURE Description of Silicosis When workers inhale crystalline silica, the lung tissue reacts by developing fibrotic nodules and scarring around the trapped silica particles [Silicosis and Silicate Disease Committee, 1988]. This fibrotic condition of the lung is called silicosis. If the nodules grow too large, breathing becomes difficult and death may occur. Silicosis victims are also at high risk of developing active tuberculosis [Myers et al.].

    Read More

  • Lead Essay Introduction

    1117 Words  | 3 Pages

    The effects of lead poisoning or being around lead are very dangerous. People should be more careful and go to higher lengths to be safe and aware of the lead that can be surrounding them. This especially is for the sake of the children since they are an easier target and less immune to this because of the fact that their bodies are still growing. Lead is very harmful and people should be serious and take precautions to be safe.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On Gonzo Journalism

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    While writing for various news companies, critics noticed he was unique. Some described it his form of journalism as "insurrectionary style--profane, egocentric, often literally and purposefully incredible" (American National Biography, 2014). Thompson's original style of journalism was later dubbed and now famously known as Gonzo Journalism. Gonzo Journalism is written in fist person with a subjective undertone while still maintaining some objectivity. Thompson made this his own by adding drugs and alcohol to the mix, he'd write about his experiences of what he was reporting on while being high or buzzed.

    Read More

More about Beryllium Essay

Open Document