berylliosis

[ buh-ril-ee-oh-sis ]

noun

, Pathology.

1. beryllium poisoning, characterized by the formation of granulomas, primarily affecting the lungs and causing a cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Word History and Origins

Origin of berylliosis¹

berylli(um) + -osis

Example Sentences

Among the symptoms of chronic berylliosis are difficulty in breathing, recurrent dry cough, fatigue, chest and joint pain, night sweats, fever and lack of appetite, according to the Mayo Clinic’s fact sheet on the illness; Pulis says he has had them all.

From Washington Times

I’d not expect a personal computer manufacturer to even be aware of the possible problems of berylliosis but would be outraged if a producer of beryllium copper, when outsourcing production, didn’t check on worker exposure at that plant they’d outsourced to.

From Forbes

Lamp-industry workers of the '40s are still dying from berylliosis, a lung disease brought on by exposure to beryllium, a lightweight metal used for coating fluorescent lighting tubes.

From Time Magazine Archive