exposure. Carcinogenicity High: Possible carcinogen. Reproductive No information available. toxicity Workplace Control of dusts containing beryllium. The eight hour time weighted workplace exposure health & safety limit is 0.002 mg/m3. impacts Beryllium is contained in manufactured equipment and may represent a hazard during Population assembly or disassembly, but the general population is not at risk from exposure to scale impacts industrial products. There could be health impacts of exposure to beryllium oxide that is emitted to air and remains in the environment, but no impacts have been reported. Beryllium oxide is released to the environment as fine dust that will Overview be incorporated into soils. The resulting risk to plant and animal species is very low risk. Low - medium: Beryllium can be harmful to animals, especially Acute ecotoxicity aquatic animals, and slow growth of plants. Low medium: No data are available on long-term effects of – Potential exposure to beryllium in the environment but it is expected that these environment Chronic will be of similar type to the acute toxicity albeit at reduced potency. impacts The Australian water Quality Guideline for Fresh and Marine waters ecotoxicity (1992) is 4x10-6 g/L in fresh water which approximates the maximum solubility of beryllium oxide. Extreme: Beryllium in the environment as beryllium oxide is Persistence persistent. Bioaccumulation Low: There is limited evidence of bioaccumulation of beryllium. Where are the Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal risks of impacts most High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low likely? Has anything happened Health concerns arose in 2005 over waste (dust) from copper-beryllium alloys in material before in used by the Australian defence forces. Australia? Beryllium and beryllium compounds have few industrial uses and What control Industry there is no widespread legislative or regulatory control over their use. measures are – systematic While emissions from coal-burning power stations are reported to the in place to National Pollutant Inventory, no specific action is taken to control or controls manage risks reduce emissions. posed by this
exposure. Carcinogenicity High: Possible carcinogen. Reproductive toxicity No information available. Workplace health & safety impacts Control of dusts containing beryllium. The eight hour time weighted workplace exposure limit is 0.002 mg/m3. Population scale impacts Beryllium is contained in manufactured equipment and may represent a hazard during assembly or disassembly, but the general population is not at risk from exposure to industrial products. There could be health impacts of exposure to beryllium oxide that is emitted to air and remains in the environment, but no impacts have been reported. Potential environment impacts Overview Beryllium oxide is released to the environment as fine dust that will be incorporated into soils. The resulting risk to plant and animal species is very low risk. Acute ecotoxicity Low - medium: Beryllium can be harmful to animals, especially aquatic animals, and slow growth of plants. Chronic ecotoxicity Low – medium: No data are available on long-term effects of exposure to beryllium in the environment but it is expected that these will be of similar type to the acute toxicity albeit at reduced potency. The Australian water Quality Guideline for Fresh and Marine waters (1992) is 4x10-6 g/L in fresh water which approximates the maximum solubility of beryllium oxide. Persistence Extreme: Beryllium in the environment as beryllium oxide is persistent. Bioaccumulation Low: There is limited evidence of bioaccumulation of beryllium. Where are the risks of impacts most likely? Generation Transport Storage Treatment Recovery Final disposal High Moderate Moderate Medium N/A Low Has anything happened before in Australia? Health concerns arose in 2005 over waste (dust) from copper-beryllium alloys in material used by the Australian defence forces. What control measures are in place to manage risks posed by this Industry – systematic controls Beryllium and beryllium compounds have few industrial uses and there is no widespread legislative or regulatory control over their use. While emissions from coal-burning power stations are reported to the National Pollutant Inventory, no specific action is taken to control or reduce emissions.
waste-recycling-process-of-used-oil-drilling3.docx