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An epidemiological study was conducted on groups of people exposed occupationally (45 persons) and nonoccupationally (36 persons) to the combustion products of coal containing a comparatively high concentration of beryllium. The concentration of beryllium in the working atmosphere ranged between 30 and 800 × 10−5 mg × m−3; in the town S, dwelling place of a nonoccupationally exposed cohort between 0.39 and 1.68 × 10−5 mg × m−3. A group of 100 subjects who had no occupational contact with beryllium and other industrial toxic agents, and lived outside of the polluted region served as control cohort. In all examined persons the main classes of immunoglobulins and autoantibodies (lung, heart, liver, spleen, thyroid gland, suprarenals, and native DNA) and antibodies against nuclear (ANA) and mitochondrial (AMA) antigens (obtained from the lungs of intact and of experimental berylliosis rats) were determined. In both exposed groups elevated levels of IgG and IgA and increased concentrations of autoantibodies were found in comparison with the control cohort of people. Specific AMA and ANA were also found in both the exposed groups, with higher values in women. The demonstrated immunological changes in humoral immunoreactivity might be considered as signs of beryllium exposure. In the discussion the authors emphasize the increasing importance of immunological aspects in the study of environmental pollution.