Fwd: Deadly Alliance

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Deadly Alliance: How government and industry chose weapons over workers

"Deadly Alliance" is based on a 22-month investigation by The Toledo
Blade. Thousands of court, industry, and recently declassified U.S.
government documents were reviewed, and dozens of government officials,
industry leaders, and victims were interviewed.

http://www.toledoblade.com/deadlyalliance/toc.html

It is a substance many people have never even heard of. Yet for more than
50 years it has been one of the most critical materials to the U.S.
government.

The substance: beryllium, a magical metal that is lighter than aluminum
and stiffer than steel.

It makes missiles fly farther, jet fighters more maneuverable, and nuclear
weapons more powerful.

But there is a catch: Workers who manufacture this rare material often
contract a deadly lung disease from inhaling the metal's dust.

An estimated 1,200 Americans have contracted the disease, and hundreds
have died - some in the Toledo area.

And many of these illnesses and deaths have not been strictly accidental.

A 22-month investigation by the Blade shows that the U.S. government and
the beryllium industry have knowingly allowed thousands of workers to be
exposed to unsafe levels of beryllium dust. This has occurred year after
year, for more than 40 years.

And it continues today. 

The Blade investigation was based on tens of thousands of court, industry,
and recently declassified government documents. In this series, we detail
our findings.

In Part 1, we show how the government has sacrificed workers' health in
the name of national security.

In Part 2, we document how industry and defense officials twisted a plan
to protect workers into a deal protecting themselves.

Part 3 and Part 4 lay out Brush's actions - how the company has downplayed
hazards, concealed documents, covered up its checkered past, and
systematically tried to control the public's knowledge of beryllium.

In Part 5, we tell the story of Marilyn Miller, who contracted the disease
while working as a secretary at a Brush plant. We follow her final days,
and final hours.

Part 6 explores how public officials have been quick to give Brush Wellman
tax dollars but slow to raise health concerns.