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GAO-01-476R 1 (2001-05-25)

handle is hein.gao/gaocrptandg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SGAO Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States General Accounting Office Washington, DC 20548 May 25, 2001 Subject: U.S. Locations Where Beryllium Was Used or Detected This letter complements our May 2000 report dealing with government responses to beryllium uses and risks.' As agreed with your offices, this report identifies U.S. locations where beryllium was used in workplace processes or detected as present in the workplace. Also our work did not address whether the level of beryllium was sufficient to present a risk to human health or whether exposure occurred. The locations identified in this report are based on data provided by the Departments of Energy, Defense, and Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. All agencies reported data for at least 1987 through 1999. Beryllium is a strong and lightweight metal that is also a hazardous substance. Occupational exposure to beryllium occurs when it is extracted from ore, when the ore is processed into beryllium metal, when the metal is made into parts (e.g., machined, welded, cut, or ground), or when users of beryllium products perform similar operations during repairs or recycling (e.g., for computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices). Energy and Defense are the federal agencies that have most often used beryllium, or beryllium products, that they or their contractors produced. Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has overall responsibility for protecting the health and safety of workers in most workplaces throughout the United States. Summary Data show that beryllium was used or detected at locations in 45 of 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. However, the number of locations varied by state as shown in figure 1. For example, 30 states and the District of Columbia were reported as having from 1 to 10 locations, while 15 states were reported as having from 11 to 41 locations The states without reported beryllium use were Alaska, Delaware, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wyoming. 'Occupational Safety and Health: Government Responses to Beryllium Uses and Risks (GAO/OCG-00-6, May 19, 2000). 'Some locations were listed by more than one agency and may be counted twice in some states. For example, Tinker Air Force Base was reported by both Defense and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Although we could not identify all potential duplications, only three states (California, Florida, and Michigan) would move to the one-location to ten-location category with complete duplication. GAO-01-476R Locations Where Beryllium Was Used Or Detected Page 1

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