A new area of research
concerns exposure assessment for beryllium
in the production of nuclear weapons at
nuclear defense industries. A safe level
of exposure to beryllium is still unknown.
Potential explanations include: (1) the
current exposure standard may not be protective
enough to prevent sensitization, or (2)
past exposure surveillance may have underestimated
the actual exposure level because of a lack
of understanding of the complexity of beryllium
exposures. Task-based exposure assessment
provides information not directly available
through conventional sampling. It directly
links exposure to specific activity associated
with contaminant generation and provides
in-depth evaluation of the worker's role
in a specific task. In-depth task analysis
is being used to examine physical, postural,
and cognitive demands of various tasks. |
