[Assessment of occupational exposure to beryllium and its compounds].

The results of measurements of beryllium (Be) concentrations in the air of the 13 selected workplaces in 4 plants are presented. For the determination of beryllium, an agent carcinogenic to humans, atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite tubes was used. The method allows for determining 1 ng Be in 1 ml of the solution, which correspondents to 0.01 (microgram/m3 (for the sample solution volume--10 ml and the air volume--1000 l) or 0.05 (microgram/m3 (for the air volume--200 l). A personal or stationary sampling was used to collect Be on a membrane filter. The results of the measurements show that the exposure to beryllium in the work environment is not significant. Only in few cases Be exceeded trace amounts, and even then its concentrations were not higher than 1/50-1/10 of the Polish MAC values. Higher Be concentrations were found in the workplace air only during castings operations (up to 1/3 of MAC or 1/10 MAC-STEL).