BERYLLIUM 



87 



recoverable. Many beryllium aircraft parts can 

 readily be salvaged; so can beryllium used in nu- 

 clear energy establishments, if it is not too strongly 

 contaminated by radioactive substances. Beryllium- 

 copper alloy is used mostly to make very small items 

 and this beryllium generally cannot be salvaged. 

 The same is to a large extent true of the beryllium 

 in ceramic ware, v^^hether high or low in BeO. 



TOXICITY OF BERYLLIUM AND ITS COMPOUNDS 



Much was written during the 1940's and 1950's 

 about the toxicity of beryllium and its compounds. 

 Subsequent studies have shown that the ores are not 

 hazardous and that industrial products can be han- 

 dled safely with reasonable precautions. The tox- 

 icity has caused few restrictions on its use, the most 

 notable being its elimination from phosphors in 

 fluorescent lamps and its exclusion from the fuel 

 of most rockets. 



HISTORY OF PRODUCTION AND 

 CONSUMPTION 



The beryllium industry is rather new; commer- 

 cial production began in the United States in 1932. 

 Consumption increased steadily until 1943, as indi- 

 cated in figure 11. After the World War II stimulus 

 and the postwar slump, ore consumption increased 

 rather steadily until about 1960, but since then it 

 has not changed greatly. In most years imports of 

 beryl ore have exceeded consumption, and stockpiles 

 have accumulated. The opening of the beryllium 

 mine near Delta, Utah, in 1969, and release of ore 

 from the Federal stockpile are at least partly re- 

 sponsible for the relatively low imports in 1970 and 

 1971. This proportion of imports probably will con- 

 tinue, with about half of the U.S. needs imported, 

 the other half produced domestically. Thus, increas- 

 ing amounts of beryllium will be obtained from 



14,000 

 13,000 - 

 1 2,000 

 11,000 

 10,000 

 9000 



CO 8000 - 



z 



o 



I- 



1- 7000 - 



cc 



o 



I 



w 6000 



3000 

 2000 

 1000 



Purchases for 

 Federal beryl 

 stockpile 



Unusually large^^ * 

 shipments from 

 India and 

 Argentina 



Atomic Energy 



Commission 



purchases 



Aerospace 



program 



Utah mines 

 producing — 



I 1 



9,888 tons _ 



released from 

 Federal stockpile 

 Aerospace program 

 Vietnam War ~ 



Figure 11. — Beryl ore imported and consumed by U.S. industry, 1936-71. Nonberyl ore, recalculated to equivalent amounts 

 of beryl ore, not important before 1969. Data from U.S. Bureau of Mines Minerals Yearbooks. 



