The Tribune investigation, based on thousands of court, industry and government documents and dozens of interviews with health officials and business owners, found:

-- Many businesses are not taking basic precautions, such as air monitoring. In a spot check of 30 businesses across the country working with beryllium, the Tribune found that none were following the safeguards recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

-- Warnings from beryllium manufacturers and distributors are often inaccurate, misleading and incomplete. Of 10 warnings reviewed by the Tribune, nine failed to abide by OSHA rules and four failed to even mention beryllium disease.

-- OSHA rarely inspects companies that handle beryllium. Several Chicago-area businesses working with the metal have not been inspected in 10 years.

Workers in a variety of businesses, including the electronics, recycling, machining and dental industries have been harmed by the toxic dust of beryllium, which slowly damages victims' lungs. Beryllium disease was once found primarily in the defense industry because of the metal's use in nuclear bombs and other weapons. Though still rare, the illness now is emerging in private and consumer industries, where beryllium is valued for its light weight and superior strength.

Roe's report documents the stories of individuals and businesses and their experiences with beryllium and beryllium disease. It is published in the Sunday, July 29, Chicago Tribune, which is available in Chicago beginning Saturday morning. The story is also available on chicagotribune.com.

SOURCE: Chicago Tribune

WEB SITE: http://chicagotribune.com/