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There are certainly hazards to be considered when working with BeCu, but the risk and hazards expressed here have been blown way beyond reality. Comparing the hazards of pure beryllium with BeCU is like comparing pure Tetra-Ethel Lead with leaded gasoline. A single drop of Tetra-Ethel Lead on your skin is enough to kill you, but it's so diluted in gasoline that occasional contact poses little if any risk. The same is true of BeCU. A very small amount of beryllium is alloyed with copper to make it harder. I don't know what % is used, but it's probably on the order of 4%. While large doses will certainly kill you, the amount of exposure from occasionally sharpening and polishing a prop poses almost no real risk. The risk is really no more than you expose yourself to from contact with the fuel we use, the thinner in our paints, the fibreglass and graphite that our hulls are made of and even aluminium dust. ALL have serious if not deadly consequences if overexposed. The real risk is breathing the fine dust from grinding. The dust particles form puss pockets on your lungs and cannot be expelled. That's why machine shops don't like to handle the stuff. The de-burr process creates a lot of dust that requires special handling. If your going to make a living finishing props you will be required by OSHA and good sense to take special precautions. If your going to do a few props a year, know the FACTS and don't be stupid.
It won't hurt if you wear a particle mask when your working on the prop, but then you SHOULD wear clothing that covers all skin or UV protective sunscreen whenever your outdoors. Don't be stupid, but don't be paranoid either. By the way, I DO work in a metal handling shop, specifically BOEING machine shop. The greatest health hazards we face are ALUMINIUM dust and exposure to solvents, the same solvent that you find in paint thinner for epoxy paints. Larry Neff Return to Prop Balancing @ Brian's Boating Pages
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