Dear Prof.Geoff.,

It's a nice discussion. I have never heard that the effects of Berrylium at a certain dose can cause a lethal effect on human health and containing some carcinogenic effects upon the human cells.

Beryllium has some useful but undoubtedly harmful effects on health and well-being. Measures need to be taken to prevent hazardous exposure to this element, making its biological monitoring in the workplace essential.

Regards,

Md OSim,India

Dear Prof.Geoff.,

It's a nice discussion. I have never heard that the effects of Berrylium at a certain dose can cause a lethal effect on human health and containing some carcinogenic effects upon the human cells.

Beryllium has some useful but undoubtedly harmful effects on health and well-being. Measures need to be taken to prevent hazardous exposure to this element, making its biological monitoring in the workplace essential.

Regards,

Md OSim,India

Proponents of Fluoridation industrial waste disposal are aware of the Beryllium compounds hazard, exacerbated by Fluoride, and prefer not to remind people that Beryllium is a Class I Human Carcinogen.

Quote: “Fluoride is one of the main ions responsible for solubilizing Beryllium, Aluminum, Scandium, Niobium, Tantalum, Iron, and Tin in natural waters; therefore, there are uncertainties associated with the interactive or synergistic effects of fluoride… the repercussions of the continual addition of fluoride to community water on ecological receptors in the long term are unknown.” - in CADTH Environmental Assessment of Community Water Fluoridation (Feb 2019)

Beryllium might also exacerbate the toxicity of fluoride, similar to aluminofluoride complexes. Beryllium will combine with fluoride ions in the system and form Beryllium Fluoride (a carcinogen). Out of 28 metals tested only Al and Be were able to potentiate fluoride activity on G protein activation (Li, 2003). All thyroid hormone metabolism is regulated by G Proteins (Utiger, 1995). The fetus is at highest risk, because of dependence on maternal thyroid hormones.

Li L - "The biochemistry and physiology of metallic fluoride: action, mechanism, and implications" Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 14(2):100-14 (2003)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12764073/

Utiger R - Editorial: "Thyrotropin-Receptor Mutations and Thyroid Dysfunction" NEJM 332(3):183-185 (1995)

Thanks Andreas Schuld

You might have seen this excellent review of Beryllium combined with Fluoride studied at atomic resolution.

Article Metal Fluorides as Analogs for Studies on Phosphoryl Transfer Enzymes

The IARC classified Beryllium as a Class I Human carcinogen because it causes Osteosarcoma in all test animals.

The US Government Comparative Toxicogenomics Database shows Fluoride is linked to Osteosarcoma via KCNH1 MIR130B PRDX2 RUNX2 SIRT1 TP53 TRP53 genes. It would be interesting to study the epigenetics of Beryllium.

Thanks Geoff Pain

That is an interesting article. Thanks for letting me know about it.

Beryllium Epigenetics is warming up as a topic due to availability of automated analytical tools.

Conference Paper Epigenetic Signatures of Sensitization and Disease in Beryll...

Article Environment, Epigenetics, and Differential Responses to Bery...

Osteosarcoma caused by Fluoride alone could confound epidemiology of Beryllium, as more sophiscated epigenetic understanding emerges.

Fluoride causes 171 differentially expressed genes in Human Osteosarcoma cells. Some are Quote: "significant in tumorigenesis and tumor progression of osteosarcoma, such as KPNA3, CSE1L, and DCAF13. CSE1L interacts with mutS homolog 6 (MSH6) to promote osteosarcoma progression and predicts a poor prognosis in patients with osteosarcoma.

See Article Integrative analyses of key genes and regulatory elements in...

Fluoride effects on osteosarcoma are most likely due to effects via the TSH receptor.

TSH/Saos-2

Morimura T, Tsunekawa K, Kasahara T, Seki K, Ogiwara T, Mori M, Murakami M - "Expression of type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase in human osteoblast is stimulated by thyrotropin" Endocrinology 146(4):2077-84 (2005) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15650076/

Fluoride/Saos-2

Huo L, Liu K, Pei J, Yang Y, Ye Y, Liu Y, Sun J, Han H, Xu W, Gao Y - "Fluoride promotes viability and differentiation of osteoblast-like Saos-2 cells via BMP/Smads signaling pathway" Biol Trace Elem Res 155(1):142-9. (2013) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23918166/

TSH/ UMR106

Inoue M, Tawata M, Yokomori N, Endo T, Onaya T - "Expression of thyrotropin receptor on clonal osteoblast-like rat osteosarcoma cells" Thyroid 8(11):1059-64 (1998) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9848724/

Fluoride/UMR106

Burgener D, Bonjour JP, Caverzasio J - "Fluoride increases tyrosine kinase activity in osteoblast-like cells: regulatory role for the stimulation of cell proliferation and Pi transport across the plasma membrane" J Bone Miner Res 10(1):164-71 (1995)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7747624/

Berg and Burbank 1972 - studied 15 regions of the USA, and found significant correlation of Breast Cancer, Bone Cancer and Uterine Cancer with concentration and detection frequency of Beryllium in drinking water. Mortality rates were excessive "only for nonwhite males".

Interesting that the paper is still behind a paywall.

Article Correlations Between Trace Metals in Water Supplies and Canc...