Risk communication in occupational health: promoting screening for chronic beryllium disease

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD), a lung disease caused by exposure to beryllium, is a serious occupational health issue. Despite the presence of industries within British Columbia with possible beryllium exposure, many workers are not aware of their risk of developing CBD. The objective of this study was to assess the utility of risk communication to raise awareness of CBD and to promote screening in aerospace workers and dental technicians in BC. Online surveys conducted before and after risk communication evaluated the effectiveness of the communication based on the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM). The recruitment of aircraft maintenance workers was unsuccessful. Fifty completed survey responses were collected from dental technicians. There was a significant tendency for subjects to become concerned about their risk and to consider taking a screening test after the risk communication. Subjects’ levels of knowledge, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and self-efficacy were associated with the PAPM stages.