. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Mar 3.

Published in final edited form as: Arch Environ Occup Health. 2014;69(2):89–99. doi: 10.1080/19338244.2012.744736

Table 3.

Particle Shape in Induced Sputum Samples of Dental Technicians Who Were and Were Not Exposed to Beryllium According to Questionnaire and BeLPT Test (N = 81)

	Particle shape										Particle size % Particle <5 µ
	AR		CO		Ci		AC		GL		Particle size % Particle <5 µ
Characteristic	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Exposed^* (n = 60)	0.6	0.1	0.9	0.01	0.59	0.05	0.88	0.01	69.2	16	87.4	10
Nonexposed^* (n = 21)	0.62	0.07	0.9	0.03	0.56	0.1	0.88	0.03	83	21	88.9	10
	p = .5		p = .6		p = .2		p = .7		p = .006		p = .3
Negative BeLPT^† (n = 66)	0.62	0.08	0.9	0.02	0.57	0.09	0.88	0.02	73.8	19	87.7	11
BeS (n = 9)	0.57	0.1	0.9	0.01	0.61	0.05	0.88	0.01	71.2	18	89.3	8.2
CBD (n = 6)	0.6	0.03	0.89	0.01	0.58	0.04	0.88	0.01	69.3	20	93.3	4
	p = .3		p = .6		p = .9		p = .7		p = .5		p = .2

By self-report.

^†

Classification based on BeLPT test and clinical findings.

BeLPT = beryllium lymphocyte proliferation tests; CBD = chronic beryllium disease; BeS = beryllium sensitization. AR = aspect ratio; Co = convexity; Ci = circularity; AC = average concavity; GL = gray level.