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,'iY i 'V' */ J y- / Note to Members: ? rj'3 O^- ce <>X,7V ;^ \A u Here are the Proceedings for the fourth fall meeting of Air Hygiene Foundation. The bulletin contains important information on the medical, engin eering, legal, labor and public relations aspects of industrial health. Pleaso help us bring this timely material before all interested executives in your organization. Additional copies are available to members free of charge. April, 1940 Air Hygiene Foundation, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 0 G 3 12 \ PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT REPORT ON NEW ENGLAND HEALTH INSTITUTE MEETINGS HELD AT HOTEL BOND, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT APRIL 17 and 18, 1940 1* The Effect of Various Dusts on the Human. Organism, Dr. LeRoy V. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory, Saranac, New York. In Dr. Gardner's discussion on the above subject, he stated that the objective was to reduce injurious dust conditions, and thereby reduce the rate of diseases. To achieve this objective it is necessary to understand the reaction which different dusts have on the human organism, and it must be understood that all dusts have the following four properties: (a) chemical and physical (b) particlo size (c) concentration (d) duration of exposure In order to study the chemical and physical properties of dusts, quantites of sample dusts are injected into animals, in this case rabbits, and thoir change in physical condition carofully studied. Injections of this type tell whether or not the sample used is injurious to health, but it gives no clue as to whether or not absorption through inhalation takes place or what quantities of tho sample would be necessary to result in illness. It has been doterminod that free silica dust is very harmful and oxtremo caro must bo taken to keep free silica dust from the lungs. Silicates, such as garnet, sillimonitc and scricito, are, on the other hand, inert and are considered irritating and troublosome but not toxic. Mixtures of puro minerals ore not as injurious as the pure minerals. Mixtures of silica and other substances are not particularly harmful until the quantity of free silica is 50 per cent or over* Fibrous substances, as asbestos, cannot be studied by injoction. The particle size of injurious dust must be small enough to pass through the air ducts leading to tho lungs. Silica particles under threo microns are dangerous. Concentrations of dust-laden air of over 5 million parts/cu. ft. for silica and 50 million parts/cu. ft. for floor dust arc considered harmful to health. Tho duration of exposuro to injurious dusts, of courso, depends on tho concentration of dusts being inhaled, but usually it takes years of exposure for chronic casos. In rapid cases whero the percentage of froc silica is high, illness may result in about two yoars. 003 11 ftn % i-f-' 2* Industrial Dermatitis - Incidence, cause, and Prevention. Dr. Louis Schwarts, Kcdical Director U. S. Public Health, National Institute of Health, Washington, D. C. According to Government statistics shown by Dr. Schwartz, dermatoses of various kinds account for 65 per cent of all occupational diseases. Compcn1 Nation cases resulting from dermatoses represent about 1 por cent of tho total cases reported; however, much lost tirno is reported and many persons are rendered temporarily non-productivo duo to skin infactions. Synthetic resins account for about 7 l/2 por cent of all dermatitis cases. This knowledge should bo of importance to us, tho Raybostos-Manhattan Comoany, inasmuch as we handle quantities of those materials, as well as many irritating solvents and compounds. Rubber glovos should not bo used more than necessary because they often cause dermatoses from perspiration and from fillers and compounds in the rubber glove itself. Susceptibility to skin diseases is, in general, classed as follows; (r) Negroes, brunettes, and Latins are less apt to bocomo infected than white parsons, blondes, and porsons of othor races. (b) Hairy men are more apt to bo infected than loss hairy mon. (c) Diet has a lot to do with susceptibility to skin troubles, inasmuch as the foods eaten affect the P-H, or acid-alkaline, balance of the perspiration. (a) A young person or a new porson at a job is more apt to develop a dermatitis than on old hand who has built up resistance to infection. (o) Women aro less apt to have skin infections than men, probably because they arc more particular about their personal cloanlincss than men are. Allergy is a tern used to donote increased susceptibility to skin in fections. Allergios arc of two types, inherited and contact. This latter typo is produced in somo persons by repeated exposure to some irritant. Allergic persons should bo removed from contact with the irritant and given jobs elsewhere. Wounds and skin abrasions are excellent places for skin troubles to start and should be taken care of immediately. The best safeguard against dermatoses is cleanliness of person and surroundings. Y/herc irritants must be handled, compulsory baths and clothe? changes arc recommended. 0C3i3 The Use of Respiratory Protective'Equipment in the Protection of the Worker's Health^ William P. Yant, 3. S., Directory of Research and Development, Mine Safety Appliance Company, Pittsburgh, Penn, Respiratory protective equipment is divided into two general classes: (a) Emergency (b) Non-emergency The emergency type of respirator is designed to be used where a person cannot exist and not become physically harmed for even a very short inter val of time, and is to be used, as the name implios, in emergency cases, such as fires, explosions, etc. Location of this typc of apparatus is im portant, since it may be reached and put on quickly in case of troublo* Emergency respirators are usually solf-contained and aro not designed to work in easily or long but to serve the user with oxygon or clean air, al though he may be in a highly toxic or suffocating atmosphero. The group of non-emergency types of rospiratora are the kind used for general factory work where it is necossary for a man to work in atmospheres that might prove harmful to him if ho worked in this exposure over long periods of time. They aro designod to render the air which he breathes clean enough, so that no illness will rosult from his occupation no matter how long ho works at it. Some non-cmergoncy respirators are merely air filters, removing only irritating, solid particles from the air. In using those rospirators, care must be taken to have the proper respirator for tho type of dust in the atmosphero. Many of these respirators arc good enough for non-toxic dusts but are not effective enough against toxics, such as lead, to prevent illness. Air containing smoke of finely suspended particles must be eloaned through some special type of filtering or absorption, ns well as air con taining vapors and fumes. It is the problem of manufacturers making this type of equipment to develop an all-purpose respirator but, since no such make of the nonemergency type is available, it is necessary that each problem be studied carefully and the proper rospirator used for the condition under considera tion. One of the biggest problems facing manufacturers today in regard to keeping their employees well is making the employees obey instructions. In the cases which wo are now discussing, the problem is to make tho em ployees wear the respirators. In issuing respirators t<: employees, some definite form of procedure should be followed; (a) Explain to the employee why he is expected to wear protective equipment. 00314 (b) Teach him to breathe properly in it. It is the natural tendency of persons to fight obstructions to normal breathing, and the reaction is to make ... -s a voluntary action, respiration is increased, and heart action speeded up. With proper training, a man can brentho involuntarily and easily in a respirator, if the respirator is properly designed, (c) Fit the rospirator to the employee's face, so that ho is comfortable in it. Adjust head straps properly, so that the mask will fit his face com fortably, (d) Issue a rospirator to one employee only, never swap or oxpoct men to "take turns" with the same mask, (o) Have "refills" accessible to employees, (f) Insist that foremen and executives also wear protective devicos when they are inspecting or supervising hazardous jobs, (g) Never ridicule a man1s appearance when wearing a rospirator; never ridicule a man for being afraid if ho is cautious or over-cautious in regard to wearing a respirator, 4, Engineering Methods of Occupational Disoaso Control, B. F. Postman, M. E Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Connecticut State Department of Health. Mr. Postman's address served as a very fitting summing-up of the In dustrial Section of the Health Institute Meetings. Ho shewed very con clusively how properly engineered jobs served to reduco hazardous situations to a minimum. Operations producing either dust or smoke should be hooded and con nected to a fan so that either the smoke or dust would be drawn out of the room before it could either get on or bo breathed by the operator. Mr. Postman showed a number of slides picturing actual operations both before and after proper ventilating systems had been installed. The main obstacle which Mr. Postman's office meets in trying to get a manufacturer to make a proper installation is the price of such an installation, its maintenance, and the cost of hoating the air which is exhausted through the system. Mr. Postman's argument against this is that by properly engineering those installations, by locating properly dosigned suction orifices at tho proper places, the costs can be cut to a minimum, in many cases to not over present ventilating costs with improper designs. Tho largest savings effected by properly exhausting dust, vapors, and smokes is the reduction in compensation cases. Properly engineered exhausing systems have tho following bearing on tho control of occupational diseases: p (a) Dust and harmful vapors are largely eliminatod, thus reducing tho number of disoases cuasod by then as discussed by Dr. Gardner. (b) The removal of these dusts is conducive to good housekeeping. Operators and Plant arc kept much cleaner, thereby reducing the demititis troubles reported by Dr. Schwartz. (c) By removal of a large portion of dusts and vapors working spaces which are not rendered entirely free arc at least placed in a class where non-emergency types of respirators may be used with perfect safety to operators. With the exception of Mr. Yont's talk on Respirators, all of these addresses were givon from illustrative slides, which made the lecturer's points very clear to tho listeners but also made noto-taking very difficult. Tho abovo report is, therefore, not as complete as it might possibly be, but in it I havo tried to cover the high spots of onch talk* I had tho ploasure and opportunity of mooting the following men directly connoctcd with this Health Institute: (a) Dr. A. S. Gray, Director of tho Buroau ofOccupational Diseases, Connecticut State Department of Health. (b) Mr, L. ColGino.it ^ Chief* Xnaxzs trial Hy^icmst^ Conn. State Department cf Health. (c) Dr. LeRoy U. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory. (d) Dr, Louis Schwartz, Medical Director of the U. S. Public Health Service. (o) Mr. B. P. Postman, Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Conn. State Department of Health. JFF:POII CC: Messrs. S. Simpson J. F. D. Rohrbach 0. H. Cillcy J. H. Matthows General Asbestos & Rubber Company