OSHA has finalized its proposal to lower the permissible exposure levels to a material that can cause devastating lung disease. The new standard would dramatically lower workplace exposure limits in place since 1948.
OSHA’s eight-hour permissible exposure limit for beryllium is now 2.0 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) of air. The agency’s proposed standard would reduce the exposure limit to 0.2 ug/m3 and require additional protections for workers, including: