Beryllium Toxicology, Occupational Lung Disease, and Environmental Fate
This research community investigates the health effects of beryllium exposure, focusing on the development and diagnosis of chronic beryllium disease and sarcoidosis, while also tracking the metal's distribution and remediation in industrial and environmental settings.
The work centers on the clinical and cellular mechanisms of beryllium-induced lung injury, including granuloma formation and immune response. A significant portion of the literature addresses the differential diagnosis between chronic beryllium disease and sarcoidosis, utilizing clinical assessments and imaging. The community also examines the environmental fate of beryllium, particularly its presence in coal seams and mining waste, and develops methods for its detection and removal from contaminated sites. Recent efforts focus on the separation and purification of beryllium from ores and industrial byproducts, as well as the management of beryllium-containing sludge and slag.
The largest share of the community's output is found in beryllium research, accounting for 12.7% of all tracked beryllium literature, with 1,607 papers in this group.
The community comprises 2,185 papers, published primarily in Analytical Chemistry, Analytica Chimica Acta, and Talanta.
Recent work continues to focus on the chemical processing and environmental remediation of beryllium, including the development of alkaline melting processes for low-grade ore and the immobilization of beryllium in ceramic materials. Concurrently, research into the immunological mechanisms of beryllium-induced lung pathology remains active, with recent studies examining the role of myofibroblasts and T-cell responses in disease progression.
Papers behind this description
- Tissue-resident immune cells: from defining characteristics to roles in diseases — Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41392-024-02050-5
- The Occupational Burden of Nonmalignant Respiratory Diseases. An Official American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Statement — American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2019 — doi:10.1164/rccm.201904-0717st
- Occupational interstitial lung diseases — Journal of Internal Medicine, 2023 — doi:10.1111/joim.13707
- Beryllium contamination and its risk management in terrestrial and aquatic environmental settings — Environmental Pollution, 2023 — doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121077
- Imaging of Pulmonary Sarcoidosis—A Review — Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2024 — doi:10.3390/jcm13030822
- Differential diagnosis of pulmonary sarcoidosis: a review — Frontiers in Medicine, 2023 — doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1150751
- Distribution of Arsene and Mercury in the Coal Seam k5 of the Kapitalna Mine, Donbas — Mineralogical Journal, 2021 — doi:10.15407/mineraljournal.43.04.073
- PECULIARITIES OF LEAD DISTRIBUTION IN COAL SEAMS OF DONETSK-MAKIIVKA GEOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREA OF DONBAS — Tectonics and Stratigraphy, 2020 — doi:10.30836/igs.0375-7773.2020.216155
- Silicosarcoidosis: Histologic and Clinical Features of an Occupational Granulomatous Disease — American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2025 — doi:10.1002/ajim.23724
- Research progress on the separation, purification, and utilization of beryllium from beryllium-containing minerals — Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2025 — doi:10.1016/j.psep.2025.107645
- Single-cell and spatial profiling highlights TB-induced myofibroblasts as drivers of lung pathology — The Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2025 — doi:10.1084/jem.20251067
- Geochemical insights from natural mineralization: An artificial mineralization strategy for toxic beryllium remediation — Separation and Purification Technology, 2026 — doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2026.139059