(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with private industry and other government agencies, have produced a new reference material for beryllium. Beryllium, an exotic metal used as a hardener in high-performance alloys and ceramics, can cause berylliosis—a chronic, incurable, and sometimes fatal illness. The new reference material is expected to dramatically improve methods used to monitor workers’ exposure and aid in contamination control, as well as toxicological research.

The use of beryllium in manufacturing dates back to the advent of the atomic age. One of the scientists involved with the famous 1942 Chicago experiment known as Chicago Pile-1, to create the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear reaction, died of berylliosis in 1988. Aside from the nuclear industry, the unique properties of beryllium make it valuable in the manufacture of aircraft and supercolliders.

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