Department of Energy August 23, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On June 7, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) in the Federal Register proposing to amend its current Chronic Beryllium Disease Prevention Program (CBDPP) regulations. In the NOPR, DOE proposed an action level of 0.05 micrograms of beryllium per cubic meter of air ([mu]g/m\3\), calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA), but declined to propose a short-term exposure limit (STEL). In this supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNOPR), DOE solicits comments on an alternative proposed action level of 0.1 [mu]g/ m\3\, calculated as an 8-hour TWA exposure, and a STEL of 2.0 [mu]g/ m\3\ measured over a period of fifteen minutes. DOE is also proposing to set its own TWA permissible exposure limit (PEL) for airborne beryllium, which is consistent with the TWA PEL currently set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), rather than adopt OSHA's current or any future 8-hour TWA PEL. The proposed amendments are intended to improve and strengthen the current CBDPP regulations and are applicable to DOE contractors and Federal employees who are, were, or potentially were exposed to beryllium at DOE sites.