Beryllium [Be, 4]
31
5.4 AIR
The range of Be concentrations in air in the remote area (Antarctica) is 0.02–0.73 ng/m 3
(Table 5.1). Its content in air of rural and urban regions increase up to 90 and above
100  ng/m 3 , respectively. Mean Be content of ambience air in the United States is
0.03 ng/m 3 , whereas in cities, it is 0.2 ng/m 3 (ATSDR 2002a).
Main sources of beryllium are mainly oil and coal combustion. Be emissions
resulting from coal combustion in EU countries in 1990 was 90 t (Pacyna and Pacyna
2001). At the same time, 450 t of Be compounds was released in the United States
(Kabata-Pendias and Mukherjee 2007).
Increased levels of Be and its compounds in air are a great concern, because their
inhalation is highly toxic to humans and animals (Rossmann 2004).
5.5 PLANTS
Beryllium uptake by plants is easy and fairly similar to the uptake of other divalent
cations, such as Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ . These elements reveal antagonistic interactions and
often Be may substitute Mg, and limits the availability of Ca and P, which disturbs
metabolic processes. Most Be taken up by plants remains in roots, and only its small
proportion is translocated to above-ground parts.
Mean contents of Be in food plants vary broadly within the range from <0.07 to
42 μg/kg FW in beans and green pepper, respectively (Vaessen and Szteke 2000).
Increased level of As, up to 25 μg/kg FW, has been noticed in corn (ATSDR 2002a).
In sites where rocks and soils contain higher amounts of Be, as, for example, in
Bohemit region (Czech Republic), its amounts in needles and bark of spruce increase
up to 310 and 78 μg/kg, respectively (Veselý et al. 2002). Be toxicity in plants is
observed at its high levels (10–50 mg/kg) in soils. But sensitive plants, for example,
lettuce, may be affected at 2 mg Be/kg in soil (Hluśek 2000).
Increased Be levels in plants can be a good indicator of pollution, mainly industrial.
Moss samples from Norway (collected during the period 1990–1995) contain Be
within the very broad range, from <0.4 to 370 μg/kg, indicating an impact of aerial
pollution (Berg and Steinnes 1997).
5.6 HUMANS
The amount of Be found in the human body (average 70 kg) is approximately 35 μg
(Emsley 2011). Average concentrations of Be were measured in human organs as follows (in μg/kg): 0.21 in lungs; 0.08 in the brain; 0.07 in both kidneys and the spleen;
0.04 in the liver, muscles, and vertebrae; and 0.03 in the heart (ATSDR 2002a).
Beryllium is one of the most toxic elements to living organisms. Toxicologically
relevant exposure to Be and its compounds are almost exclusively confined to the
workplace. Before the introduction of improved emission control, and hygiene
measures in Be plants, several neighbourhood cases of chronic Be diseases were
reported. In 1930s and 1940s, several hundred cases of acute Be diseases occurred,
particularly among workers in Be-extraction plants of many countries (Vaessen and
Szteke 2000).