Document 6Rx9Bgm4yak65r1XrY4BYddRd

FILE NAME: Newspaper & Magazine Articles (NMA) DATE: 1959 DOC#: NMA117 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Wall Street Journal - Technology's Advance Boosts On-Job Health Problems for Industry Technology's Advance Boosts O n-Job Health Problem s for Industry BY JERRY E*. BISHOP Staff Reporter o f THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Wall Street Journal (1889-Citrrent file); Apr 7. 1959; ProQuest Historical Newspapers The Wall Street Journal (1889 - T e c h n o lo g y 's Adv ancc Boosts On-Job Health Problems for Industry Perils Include Pocket Fuel, H.idi.-ition: Scientist L in k s Sonic Cancer lo Industry - ' o '* r B y J f.r r y K B i s h o p I f f o f T H E W a I I S T H E f T .1<-l R S a j Tho tution s a d v a n cin g technology bring* inp new on-the-job health problem s A* the same tim e , in riu stn -il h e a lth e x p e rts a?** w i l t v i n s a b o u t s o m e h a z a rd s , fro m tra d Jt'"nnl o n upaxion.. th a t m a y h a v e c o n e un* noticed until now A C alifornia public health official y este rd ay released findings indicating that a sm all p a rt of th e in c reasin g in cid en ce of lung ca n cer in the nation m ay stem from o n upational environm ent. P r je s t e r B re s lo w o f th e s t a t e 's B u ie a u of t h to n ic D is e a s e s s a y s a s tu d y o f s o m e 500 lung c a n c e r p atien ts in C alifornia in d icates that sm h w o rk e rs a s w e ld e rs an d o th e r h a n d le rs of hot m e tals: stea m fitters w orking w ith asbestos. > d, zinc and copper m iners, com m ercial cooks and p ain ters m a y have a higher-than* norm al incidence of th e disease. T he num ber of cases th a t develop in th ese o ccu p atio n s is extiem ely sm all, how ever, he adds E laborate Safeguards N ew er jobs created by technological prog ress. are bringing o th e r h azard s C hem ical com panies a te settin g lip elab o rate safeg u ard s to p r o te c t w ot 'r e r s a g a in s t a c c id e n ta l w h iffs of toxic rocket fuels, and atom ic energy firm s, already extrem ely safety conscious because of radiation hazards, have brought u n d er contiol a disease resulting from the grow ing u se of b c ty lh u m , a m etal used in a to m ic w eap o n s " T he ind u stiy of the future, w ith its em p h a sis on autoinai on. electronic and chem ical op erations. and nu clear energy, m ay introduce num ero u s physiologic pathologic an d psycho, logic health pioblem s Som e of these pioblem s m ay have m or^ fa r reach in g effects th an those of the p a st." says D r. H enry N Doyle, a s s is ta n t c h ie f <*f th e o c c u p a tio n a l h e a lth p ro gram of th e V S Public H ealth Seivicc These problem s, do cto rs quickly explain, are no c a u se fo r nubile a la r m In m o st case, ind u stiy 's expanding m edical and i escai eh fa cilities a ie able to spot and p re \c n i health h a z a id s b e fo ie a w o r k e i 1 e n d a n g e r e d M ost d o c'n is a g re e , too A m oncum s a ie s a fe r on th e job now th a n e v e r b efo re " T hese new pioblem s a re spectacular and a ttra c t a t te n tio n : the* a r e of c o n c e rn , b u t in te rm s of the av e ra g e individual w o ik er com ing to harm they are not too m uch of m om ent." say s D r B Dixon H olland, se c re ta ry of the A m erican Medle a l A ss o c ia tio n 's C o u n cil on In d u s tria l M e d i cine. Spreading H azards T h e re's no question, how ever, th a t the new er hazards are spreading. In the early days o f a to m ic e n e rg y , fo r e x a m p le , only* a h an d fu l of p lants and la b o ra to rie s had to w o rry about r a d ia tio n d a n g e rs . N ow a n e s tim a te d 1.600 c o m panies a ie authorized to use radioisotopes for industrial purposes and have to u n d ertak e the elab o tate precautions to g u aid ag ain st ac ci dentia! exposure of th eir w orkers . O ccupational d iseases long have been a problem in industry, of course. These ailm ents, w hich do not include on-the-job accid en ts, gen e rally a te such illnesses as sfttn allot gies from contacting toxic chem icals, lung diseases from inhaling h arm fu l dusts and polluted air, and poisonings such as from lead and carbon dioxide. An e s tim a te d 50 m illion w o tk d a y s a y e a r ni e lost b ecau se of illnesses of occupational origin. A. J H ayes, president of the In tern a tio n al A ssociation of M achinists, re c e n tly told a gathering of industrial m edicine experts at C htcago. " A m erican w o rk ers lose a m inim um of 5420 m illio n in w a g e s e v e ry y e a r b e c a u se of occupational illnesses." he asserted, " and th is do es n o t in c lu d e th e in e v ita b le lo sse s in production and p ro fit." W h ile a m a j o r p a r t o f in d u s tr y 's o u tla y s fo r w o r k m e n 's c o m p e n s a tio n a w a r d s a r c f o r onth e -jo b a c c id e n ts , a s ig n if i c a n t--a n d in c re a s in g ---a m o u n t a r e f o r o c c u p a tio n a l d is e a s e s . " C o m pensation aw ard s fo r silicosis alone fa lung disease caused by y e a rs of inhaling dust such a s q u a r t z d u s t) a r e p ro b a b ly m o re th a n $10 m illio n a y e a r n o w --a n d t h a t 's p ro b a b ly a gross u n d erestim ate." says one V S. Public H ealth S ervice official The grow ing am ount of health insurance costs b eing borne by corp o ratio n s also is s h a rp en in g in te re s t in w a rd in g off th r e a ts to em ploye health. H ealth insurance plans last y e a r sh e lle d o u t a re c o rd $4.8 billion in b en e f its . a n in c r e a s e o f 1 4 % fro m 1957, E . J . F a u lk n e r, p re s id e n t-o f th e W oodm 'en A ccident & Life Co., s ta te d a t th e C hicago m eetin g . T h e flood of new c h e m ica ls, now estim ated P le a se T u rn to P a g e 13, C olum n l Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Advancing Technology Increases Industry's On-Job Health Problems Cfmtimumd T r a m F irst Fs^e a t 4,009 a e v compounds a y ear, is proving s m ajor ptoM en for industrial health experts. Fbr example. two of the new boron compounds used in rocket fuels will produce a rough, a tightness of the chest, headache and possibly nausea, chills, dizziness and drowsi ness. Overexposure could be serious, doctors soy. Inhaling beryllium compounds over a prolonged period can produce berylliosis, a lung disease characterized by chills, fever, profuse and a painful cough. Only a relatively tew cases of poisonings from such compounds have bothered industrial firms, moot of these coming before it was realized the compounds were dangerous Once spotted, however, companies quickly institute safety measures. Dr. F. J . Weissmiller of the StrombergCarlson division of General Dynamics recalls that another instrument company not long ago began using a powerful epoxy resin glue to stick component parts together, tlte work required the highly skilled employes to handle the glue for a few moments before it dried t h e workers suddenly began breaking out In rashes and bum s on the hands and around the eyes. As a result, the company had to Insti tute the costly procedure of putting rubber gloves on the workers and then having them stop work for a half hour every two hours. When Stromberg-Carlson recently began us ing the glue to assemble electronic parts. Dr. W eissmiller explains, instruments were devel oped to handle the glue without workers* hands touching it. ventilating hoods were put In over head and a wash basin was put next to each worker. The company has no trouble a t all, he says While to \ic chemicals long have been a prob le m - le a d poisoning, for instance, has troubled industry for decades--other health problems are from new sources Doctors say there is some question about the effects of high-energy radio waves being used for radar and other military purposes So far, there have been no known deaths or serious injuries from the waves but it is sus pected they may cause such troubles as cata racts of the eye. Both industry and the arm ed forces have taken precautions gainst such a possibility. Studies a r e now under way to find out if the waves have any long-range hereditary effects on humans. Ironically, the. most dangtoua of the new health problems, radiation from the mushroom ing atomic energy plants, so fa r has been one of the least damaging, doctors say. Since 1956 there have been only two or three accidental exposures to radiation, including one fatality a t Los Alamos that made headlines a iew months ago Considering the number of per sons working in the field and the hazard in volved. doctors say that record is ra th e r re markable. Many firm s now call in their medical de partm ents before installing new processes or building new plants. " Our medical departm ent is tn close liaison with our engineers and is a s re g n o a h le for product rehafatftiiy a s any one.** ssy s D r. H arry T eabrook, m e d c a l direc tor of Syhnassa E lectric Products Co. The company s pim waans are working closely with the development o a syw hetic m ica to de term ine if the m ica dust will post a health problem the workers. A final indication of the lengths to which industry h a s gone to p ra te d its w orkers is reflected in the num bers of health experts it now employs. Tbe American Medical Asso ciation estim ates th at 5.000 doctors now work full rim e a t plani and th a t aiwlliei 10.000 are oa cali. In addano , m s i p a s e t w iploy aonse 1.000 industriai h y g i c n i f . esperta in concret ine; health hazards. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.