Document ByEdamDy9QnNajddm5xE5Vqdo

FT) o_? f3 a ^ =T! FOUNDATION FACTS This nws-!etter is issued monthly to member companies and trade associations affiliated with Air Hygiene Foundation. Its purpose is to report Foundation news and activities. Air Hygiene Foundation Is a partnership ot industry and science organized to protect the health of the 13 million workmen in heavy Industry. Vol. 2 April, 1940 ____ . _... . lio. 4 Audit Your Sick Absenteeism and Cut Losses Member companies are writing almost daily saying they will take part in the Foundation's study of "Sick Absenteeism in Industry," a study which promises to save participating companies considerable suns of money. Company participation simply in volves the keeping of lost time records. See the Foundation's recent absenteeism re port for details. Please return the coupon on the back page, if you haven't already done so. More details later as to forms, procedures, etc. Incidentally, this study is receiving national attention in the daily and trade press. Two metropolitan news papers have vrritten editorials commenting favorably on the undertaking. Net/ York Times carried a half-column article. Ask Questions on Baployee Health Remember, Air Hygiene Foundation is concerned with every aspect of industrial health, whether it be chemical hygiene, dust or skin diseases. This is shown by the range of literature covered in your attached copy of the monthly "Digest of Indus trial Hygiene." The chemical age has brought new volatile solvents into industry at a rapid rate. Still, there is yet to be found a material that can't be handled safe ly with proper precautions. A wealth of data and experience is being accumulated by the Foundation and rich facilities are available to the Foundation at its headquart ers in Mellon Institute. Ask us your questions on all phases of employee health. Monthly Index of Digest Inaugurated Starting with this issue of the monthly "Digest of Industrial hygiene," the Foundation is including an index for each issue. This will be found on the last page. At the end of the year a "master" index will be compiled covering the full year. Meanwhile, as time permits, work is progressing on an index for past years, 1937-39, V'e hope to have this completed by mid-summer. The index accompanying each monthly Digest, as well as the annual indexes, will make the material more readily available and therefore more valuable to members. Do You Want the Digest Punched for Loose-Leaf- Filing? An alert member writes: "VJe have been enjoying our copies... .Why not have this valuable data prepared in such form that there would be a left-hand margin punched v/ith three holes so that the recipient coid-d retain the pages in a permanent binder?" This member will receive the Digest in that form. Any others desiring the punch holes may have them by letting us know. Some companies clip up the abstracts for filing. Able Industrial Hygienist Available An able industrial hygienist, a Ph.D., now associated with one of the Founda tion* s leading companies, would consider changing his connection. He has wide ex perience in this field, is in his early 30*s and can be recommended without hesita tion. Further information is available through the Foundation. Pennies for prevention save dollars worth of cure AIP HVGiCNC FOUNDATION 4400 FtrTM AV(Nut PITTSOUROH. PA- HBB`-000999<i niiBB-ttuu9996 April, 1940 Air Hygiene Foundation 4400 Fifth Are., Pittsburgh, ?a. .gj -3 --V ^ DIGEST OF INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE , Literature--News--Developments News Items 258. Lighting and Air-Conditioning Improve Draftsman*a Efficiency. Occupational Hazards, Z, 31 tMcrch, 1940)7 " Lact summer, the Detroit Edison Company, Detroit, Michigan, checked the output of its draftsmen and found they were getting out 8900 "work units" in 5006 man hours, Meanwhile, the draftsmen moved into a new wiadowless building complete ly air-conditioned and illisainated electrically with 50 foot-candles at the drafting table top. This year, thanks to the conditioning and lighting, the draftsmen required only 3872 man-hours to do 10,474 work units -- a 51.4 per cent increase in efficiency. No longer does work bocome smudged by hot 3ticky fingers; nc longer do the tired eyes of tired men bring about time-consuming errors. 269. All 0!iio Safety Congress. The eleventh annual session of the All Ohio Safety Congress and Exhibit will be held April 16, 17 and 18, 1940 at the Deshler Wallick Hotel, Columbus. Among the many speakers listed on the tentative program will be: Dr. P..L. Johnson, Inland Mfg. Div., Genemi Motors Corp., -- "Medical Department's Place in Industry." Miss Marion Page, R.N., Gardner Richardson Co., -- "Industrial Nursing." Dr. L.L. Praver -- "Industrial Dermatoses as Relatod to the Oil Industry." E.I. Evans, Chief Actuary, Industrial Commission of Ohio -- "Employers' Workmen's Compensation Responsibility." C.B. Young, Ohio State Dept, of Health -- "Occupational Health Hazards in the Printing Industry." W.T. Cameron, 0.3, Dept, of Labor -- "Dust Control in Foundries." C.A. Saucker, Ohio Dept, of Health -- "Toxic Materials and their Uses in the Dry Cleaning Industry." Dr. K.D. Smith -- "Occupational Diseases Occurring in Ohio." J.J. Bloomfield, U.S. Public Health Service -- "Control of Occupational Disease Hazards," 270. Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Toronto, Canada. April 7-13, The General Session on Toxicology will present a number of interesting speakers: T.C. Waters -- "Recent Legislation on Occupational Diseases." E. Poitevin -- "Undesirable Visitors in the Hunan Lungs." L.T. Fairhall -- "Relative Toxicity of Lead and Some of Its Common Compounds." M.F. Trice -- "Health of Brick and Tile Workers in North Carolina," A.D. Brandt -- "Engineering Control of Dust with Special Reference to Respirators." .._3 Dige3t of Industrial Hygiene - 2. HilBii-00iJ9997 271. American Foundrymen's Association Annual Convention. There will be a Safety and Hygiene Section at the forty-fourth annual convention of the American Foundrymen's Association to he hold in Chicago, May 6-10. One of the speakers will bo Soger Bronson of Chicago who will discuss "Workmen*s Compensation and Occupational Disease Insurance." Headquarters for the conven 'i* 'ij tion will be in International Amphitheatre. 272. Occupational Disease Claim Held not Barred by Statute of Limitations. Occupa tional Hazards 2, 14 (March, 1940). The Workmen* s Compensation Act of Missouri provides that a claim for compensa tion for an occupational disease must be filed within six months from the time it became reasonably discoverable and apparent that the compensable disease has g_. been contracted. The disease in this case was lead poisoning contracted through continued work handling scrap metals, including lead. The claimant went to -.vorh for the company in 1927 and continued in their employ until 1935, at which time he was discharged after the plant physician reported that he had high blood pressure, and that the likelihood of an apoplectic stroke made him a hazard on the jcb. Within six months of his discharge the claimant filed a claim for com pensation. It was granted. The company claims the award was erroneous, con tending that the claimant had known in 1932, four years before filing his claim, that ho was suffering from lead poisoning, and consequently his claim had not boon filed within the six months' limitation period. The Court rejected the Company*3 contention, stating: "An injury which 3tarts the running of the sta tute of limitations provided for in Workmen's Compensation Act, occurs in an occupational disease case at the tine when the disease produces a compensable disability, and mere fact that the employee has reason to know that he Is suffer ing ill effects which, oven though attributable to natural incidents of employ ment, have not progressed to the point of in anywise impairing his capacity for work is Insufficient to start the running of the statute." Smith vs Federated Metals Corporation at al {Missouri) 133 S.W, 2nd 1112 (Dec. 1939). 273. Osteomyelitis Develops from Brass Particles in Clothes. Occupational Hazards 2, 15 (March, 1940). ^ An award in this CQ3e was granted to the claimant for temporary and permanent disability resulting from the amputation of one leg. The facts were: The claimant was employed in a factory as a brass polisher. In the courso of his work small particles of brass became dislodged from the pieces being polished and settled on his skin and in his clothes, causing scratches on the akin. The claimant's right leg became swollen. He was forced to stop work and was taken to a hospital. The physicians found a large number of healed scratches on the claimant's aims and legs. They also found his right leg swollen and infected with osteomyelitis (inflammation of the bone-marrow) which had been caused by infection resulting from the scratches of the brass particles. It was necessary to amputate the leg to check the spread of infection. Mecca vs Phoenix Brass Fitting Corporation (N.J.) 10 Atl. 2nd 491 (Jen. 1940). 274. Workmen's Compensation Acts: Dementia Paralytica Attributed to Aggravation of Pre-asiatlne Syphilis by Heat Stroke. J. Am. Med. Assoc.. 114. 1292 (March 30. i~940)" ^ The employee in this case filed a claim for compensation alleging that during the course of hi3 employment he suffered a "nervous breakdown" owing to the heat to which he was subjected. The state industrial commission awarded com pensation and the employer appealed to the Supreme Court of Oklahoma. The em ployee had worked for two years in and around a boiler room exposing him to high temperatures and occasionally to intense heat. There was evidence that he had suffered three heat strokes. He began to show evidence of on abnormal con dition which alarmed his relatives who had him committed to on asylun. The HUoB-|j(jij999S Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 5. diagnosis was general paresis of syphilitic origin. He responded favorably to treatment and was restored to competency by the court which had committed him. Shortly thereafter, he filed his application for compensation. The Supreme Court held that the commission had before it competent evidence which, if be lieved, was sufficient to support a finding of accidental injury within the meaning of the workmen's compensation act. The award of compensation was there O'C- fore affirmed. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company v. Maloney (Okla.), 88 P. (2d) 363. 275. Recant Commission Findings. Ohio Ind. Comm. Monitor, 1,3, 41-42 (March, 1940). An employee of a steel foundry applied for compensation, alleging permanent total disability as the result of silicosis, contracted in the course of his employment. Pending a decision on the claim, the claimant died and his widow 0 applied for a death award for the benefit of herself end six minor children. An investigation revealed that decedent worked in the foundry from May, 1922, to June, 1939, in the cleaning department where his duties required him to remove hardened sand from castings by use of a pneumatic hammer, A dust count in the (85) room where decedent waa employed showed an exposure well below the accepted safe standard, but the dust contained approximately 20 per cent of free silica. The claims referee was of the opinion that the exposure to silica dust was well & established and the claim was approved as compensable by the Silicosis Referees. a Acting under the provisions of an amendment to the Occupational Disease Act effective May 26, 1939, the Commission granted on award of #6,500 to the widow .and minor children, payable at the maximum rate of $18.75 per week. ****A painter employed by a general maintenance and engineering company died Jan. 17, 1938, and his widow applied for a death award for the benefit of herself and miner child. She alleged that the decedent died as the result of "Silicosis terminating in cancer." Investigation revealed that the decedent had worked at tho painting trade all his life, working on interior and exterior work with both spray and brush. When admitted to the hospitnl his case was diagnosed es one of acute gastric ulcer. The investigator pointed out that, while the claim wq3 filed after the Occupational Disease Act amendment of May 26, 1939. became effective, the conditions giving rise to the claim originated at a time when they came under the provisions of the old law, which did not include a lung can cer on the list of occupational diseases. It was also pointed out that there was no basis for the allegation of silicosis as a contributing cause and no evi dence was adduced to show that paints used contained harmful ingredients to bring about the condition causing death. The commission dismissed the applica tion. Notices of New Books 276. Pneumoconiosis (Silicosis) The Story of Dusty Lungs. A Preliminary Report. L.G. Cole and W.G. Cole. John S. Pierce foundation. New York, 1940 . 52 pp. with an appendix and index. . "The object of this report is to record briefly the observations that have been made and the conclusions that have been drawn during a further short but inten sive investigation of pneumoconiosis. Many of the conclusions herein recorded concerning the scientific aspects of the disease -- its etiology, pathogenesis, pathology, and roentgenology -- as well as its social, economic and legal as pects, are not in accord with accepted ideas." The authors classify the dis ease into four types. They are, in the order fo severity: Type I, the invasion of the perivascular - peribronchial - lymphatic structures and the hilus by dust laden phagocytes and deposits of collagen; manifested roentgenologicolly by accentuated hllaf and linear markings. Type II, the nodular type, character ized by the presence of whorls of collagen and manifested roentgenologically by Digest cf Industrial Hygiene - 4. white spots on. a black background. Type III, the pockmarking type, character~s ized by air cysts in the parenchyma of the lung. In the x-ray, air cysts appear^ as black spots surrounded by white rings, or small black spots within areas of :! massive collagenization. Type IV, acute silicosis, manifested by an incom- sc plete aeration or partial consolidation of the alveoli. A general haze or dif fuse cloudiness of the film is the outstanding roentgenological finding. The !g book also discusses the social and economic aspects -- the authors believing :* "that 90% of the types of pneumoconiosis now recognized as 'silicosis' are not :c compensable; that the two types hitherto unrecognized or not accepted as sili cosis arc by oil means compensable; and that an adequate clinical history, plus an expert roentgen examination with the cooperation of laborer and employer, are indispensable to any fair and proper solution of the problem," An appen dix contains reprints of two articles by the authors. There is an adequate index. 3 Papers on Air, Dust and General Industrial Hygiene 77. Silicosis. E.P.. Hayhurst. Merck Report, 49_, 6, 3, 9, 28, 30, 32 (April, 1940). 5) An excellent short review of the subject of silicosis. The author discusses the types (acute and chronic), occurrence, predisposing causes, pathology, symp toms and clinical findings, complications, course and prognosis, diagnosis, dif ferential diagnosis, and treatment (prevention). 278. Recent Developments in Relation to Silicosis. L.TJ. Gardner. Ind. Med., jJj 45-49 (February, 1940). Experimental work in progress at the Saranac Laboratory seems to lead to the conclusion that inhaled asbestos fibres are irritating not because they are silicates but because they are stiff fibres vrhich mechanically irritate the lungs, When asbestos is ground very finely so that few of the fibres are longer than 2 microns in length the irritating property of the asbestos is practically destroyed. Inhalation experiments with this fine asbestos in a concentration of 125 million particles per cubic foot over a period of three years baB not produced fibrosis -- in previous experiments exposure to one third this concen tration of long fibres has produced well marked fibrosi3 in two years. This phenomenon is directly opposite to that found in silicosis, where with decrease in particle size, reaction becomes more vigorous. Irritation, from the asbestos fibres seem tc be more closely associated with the physical, rather than the chemical, composition as in the case of free silica. There are many experi ments whose results are difficult to reconcile with the solubility hypothesis. In vivo, cellular reactions begin 15 to 30 minutes after injections; in vitro, traces of dissolved silica are found by the most sonsitlve methods only after 12 to 24 hours. There is some experimental evidence that free silica has a specific toxicity. Pine silica injected into the veins or hearts of certain animals acts like a strong poison. This has not been observed with particles of larger size or with suspensions of other minerals. These toxic effects can be neutralized by the addition of different substances, for example, colloidal <T-\ aluminum hydroxide and ferric hydroxide. More and more experimental evidence seems to demonstrate the physiological insignificance of particles over 3 mi crons. Finally there is a discussion of the similarity between the silicotic and tuhercvlous reactions in the lung. 279. Arrest of the Toxic Action of Silica Dust on the Conjunctive Tissue by Aluminum. A.Poliaard end J.Roilet. Compt.rend.Soc.de 3iol., 132, 190-192 (1939).(French)7 A study of the effects on the cornea of quartz alone and quartz with aluminum. Quartz produces a soricus reaction, with edana, cellular Infiltration for some weeks and healing with opacities. There is a very slight reaction with quartz and aluminum. ' ntiBB-uDiuOtlQ ::S Digest of Industrial Hygiene-?. 280. Warning Incidence of Silicosis on Rend. S. Africa Min. & Eng. J., 50., 673-5 (January 27, 1940), (British). This is nn abstract of the report on the work of the Miners' Phthisis Medical Bureau for the three year period ending July 31, 1938, The rate of incidence ~ / of 3ilicosis has fallen to a new low record; however, there i3 a marked progres vSTSs sive increase in incidence with increase in duration of service, also with the increase in the amount of time spent in machine drilling. A modification of the system of periodical examination is urged. 281. Detection of Silica-Containing Dust In Lung Tissues by Moans of Fluorescence Microscopy. M. Oberdalhoff. Arch. Gewerbepath. & Gev/erbehyg., _9, 435.442 (1939). Abstracted in Srit. Chan. & Physiol,, p, 158 (February, 1940). Quartz and other mineral dusts show charseteristic fluorescence colors under Q ultra-violet light when treated with flucrchrcmes, especially auramine, and then washed with water. Quartz dust can be detected similarly in silicotic lung tissues provided that the specimen is first treated with alcohol-ether to ,--n remove the covering of fat on tho q,uartz particles. 282. An X-ray study of tho Lungs of Workmen in the Asbestos Industry, Covering a Period of Ten Years. A.W. George and H.D. Leonard. Radiology 33, 19(^202 (19391 A discussion of the exposure to asbestos in the manufacture of brake linings. In 1928 and 1929, 12 'workers with symptoms of asbestosis ware retired on compen sation and were followed for 7 years. In 1933, 800 employees from the same plant were x-rayod end three found to have advanced asbestosis. When the plant closed, 90 men sued for compensation and the authors give a discussion of the trial cf 30 cases. During the trial, the 12 men retired 8 or 9 years before were produced. All but the women were performing laborious work, and no progress of the lung condition wns apparent. There is a description of the x-ray appear ance of asbestosis and the action of the dust on the lung. The authors consider that "the fiber is innocent of producing any pathologic disturbance except an impedance to the air in this region of the lung." Pleuritic changes are al3o seen -- adhesions and obliteration of the costcphrenic angles. Bnphysema and changes in the heart contour are other signs. -No cases complicates by tubercu losis were found. X-ray will show asbestos in the lungs when there is enough to cause symptoms. 283. The Rcentgonoloi'ic Aspects of Bronchomycosis. K.P. Doub. Radiology, 34, 267-275 (March1," 1940). ----- ^^-------- The signs and symptoms of the bronchomycose3 are similar to those of tuberculo sis and often they are at first thought to be tuberculous in origin. Whenever the history or x-ray changes are atypical of tuberculosis, the sputus should be examined microscopically and also cultured repeatedly, so that these cases may not be treated as tuberculous. In oarly stages, these patients appear to have a mill bronchitis with some expectoration; later they develop many of the signs and symptoms and even the complications of tuberculosis. The final diagnosis rests on the discovery and identification of the offending organism. The roentgen changes are suggestive of a differential diagnosis in some instances but usually only suggest the presence of a fungous infection. The author des cribes some of the more prominent roentgen signs of the various bronchomycoses. 284. Lungs Affected by Ochre Dust. H. Otto. Arch. Gewerbepath. & Gewerbehyg., 9_, 487-495 (1939). (German), Abstracted in Brit. Chem. & Physiol., p. 159 (February, 1940), The harmful constituents of ochre appear to he iron oxides and silica. X-ray findings In ochre-offscted lung3 and pathological anatomy of iron-affected lungs are described. Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 6, ntiBB-tjOlHijui 285. Dust and Disease. H. T. Specter, Safety Engineering, 79, 33 (March, 1940), Organic dusts do not produce disabling diseases of the lungs, says this author, /-vn basing his claim on autopsy studies of the lungs of 50 patients exposed for D ! many years to organic du3ts. Regardless of how violent -.a effect inhaling in dustrial impurities might produce in the human system, tuberculous infection take3 place only in the presence of diseaso-proaucing bacilli. Possible remed ial measures for the control of tuberculosis in industry might include: Control of industrial disease hazards, ample wage standards, and periodic physical ex aminations, 286. Pulmonary Aspergillosis. H.S. Van Ostrand. Cleveland Clinic Quarterly, _7, 66-73 (January, 1940). The classic instances of pulmonary aspergillosis in man are found in certain occupations wliich involve prolonged and intimate contact with grains or with birds. Farmers, food-mill workers and threshers are prone to this infection. Certain iust3 are important sources of infection, such as that produced by sponge-cleaners and wig-makers. The symptoms nay be of acute or chronic nature. The acute fom assumes clinically the picture of bronchitis or pneumonia. The course of chronic primary aspergillosis is similar to that of chronic pulmonary tuberculosis. The author describes the physical and roentgen findings, A case of aspergillosis fumigatus of the acute "bronchitic" type is presented. 287. Experimental Investigation on the Capacity of the Human Hose to Retain Past. J. ScheidelerT Arch, f. Ohren-T~Nase-ru. Eehlkopfheil.. 146. 135-169 (1959). (German). Resulta of the examination of 290 men in an effort to determine the capacity of the human nose to retain dust. There were 10 measurements on each worker and variation was groat -- between 9.5 and 91.1$. The individual variation was at most 8.2$ and averaged only 2,96$. The author concludes that the capacity of the individual human nose remains constant as long as the rhinoscopic findings aro the same. The capacity varies with the construction of the interior of the nose, since this formation determines the direction of the inhaled air stream. Obstacles in the lower nasal duct and the concentration of the dust are without influence. The dust-retaining capacities of the pharynx and larynx are unimpor tant compared to that of the nose. 288. What to Lock for in Respirators. W.H. Lemberg. Safety Engineering, 79, 30 ^January, 1940). Respiratory protective devices must measure up to certain standards and specifi cations to be fully efficient. They must be provided with a compact and highly efficient filter medium that will exclude dust and fumes, obstruction to breath ing must be sufficiently low to provide no discomfort during noimal activity, they must fit all types of faces without leakage, they must be comfortable, they must not Interfere with the wearing of safety goggles and they must be de signed compactly, with a minimum of free space inside. 289. To Solve Silicosis. S.C. Blacktin. Chem. Age., 4, 97-98 (February 17, 1940). (British). There is first a general historical discussion of the problem of breathing re sistance in respirators with the increase in dust-stoppage efficiency. The author presents a new principle, "the Repulsor" based on the repelling action on dust particles of a heated wire diaphragm. It Is proposed in the interests of economy where eloctric safety lamps are used, to exploit the provisions already offered, the air-cleaning unit thus forming a composite part of a new all-pur pose lamp. The author feels that tho defeat of the attack on 3ilicosis preven tion has been due to this resistance of respirators and will now be solved by this method of breathing ease. u 0 & a --^ Digest or In'1 uo:ri:ii Hygiene - ?, 90. Dust Prevention by Use of Carbonate Minerals. Eng. Min. Rev., 38, 37 (1039). H.C. Dod and J.B. Lewis. r;vai Chera. 2 The use of dolomite or a mixturo of magnesite and limestone as tamping in drill holes produces a cloud of basic dust particles after firing which neutralize th^ charge on the silica particles and thereby produce flocculation., so that it is aa possible to effect complete removal of the silica particles from the air fifteeig minutes after firing. ` Profits ia Air: Dust Control, Part I. The Lust Problem, Employee Examinations, Dust Surveys. F.F. Kravath. Keating <?: Ventilating, 37, 33-41 (March, 1940). The author outlines a plan for employee examinations and plant surveys with suggested fonts far keeping records of employees' physical condition and results of surveys, Careful occupational histories will sometimes obviate time-consum ing and expensive physical examination. Periodic examination may be easily brought about at regular intervals by moans of a snail "tickler" file, contain ing the employee's name or number. A brief outline of the procedures for plant surveys is given. S9S. Keep it Clean. R.D. Mudd. Safety Engineering, 79_, 34-37 (March, 1940). Cleanliness in industry saves money, improves the product and prumotes the health an: working power of anpl-'yees, Compensation for skin diseases of occu pational origin makes- up as much as 70^ of all occupational disease claims in ' some states. Cleanliness could prevent many of these conditions. The writer outlines the steps which plant managers and the working force can cooperate in and thus achieve healthy working conditions. Every dollar put into ecuipment a and services to promo to cleanliness is bound to appear eventually on the right W side of the balance sheet. 293. Mineral Technology and Output Per Mrm Studies: Rock Drilling. C.E. Nighmaa and C.E. Kiessling. W.P.A. in cooperation with U.3. Bureau of Mines, Report Nc. E-il pp. 158 (February, 1940), Primarily a discussion of the.kinds of technical changes introduced and the rates at which they have been incorporated into industrial practice. In the extractive industries advances in the methods used in drilling operations have been an Lr, octant feature of these changes. The development of drilling tech nology in the bituminous coal industry and in petroleum and natural-gas produotion has been covered in other reports -- this one deals with rock drilling in other important mineral industries. There is a short discussion on the subject of health and safety. The advent of mechanical drilling greatly increased the prevalence end seriousness of the respiratory diseases. It is estimated that roughly 1/5 to over 1/3 of the miners in typical hard-rock mining camps 20 years ago v/ere afflicted with silicosis. This danger has now been greatly lessened by the wide cooperation of mine operators in dust control programs inaugurated by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the tf.S. Public Health Service. 294. Preliminary Report on Hvaione Studies of Y.'elding. L.3. Case and V.J. Castrop. Ind. Med., , 52-55 (February, 1940). Samples of air taken at a distance of 3 inches from the electric arc show con centrations of nitrogen dioxide as high as 70 p.p.m. These ore not, however, average concentrations. The samples taken near acetylene welding showed some what smaller results. Analyses were made of the welding rod coatings and par tial deterainations of the metal fumes obtained in the breathing zones of the weldors. The latter sacm to indicate that iron oxide i3 the principal ingredient of the fumes. There is some conjecture by the authors on the costings of the metals being welded and a short discussion of the matter of personal protection by ventialtion', respirators, etc. It is emphasized that this is a preliminary report. 0 a WA S _ e*\ -N ^ 3 rnnnm n-anH U Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 8. 295. Cataracts Electrlca Following Electric Shock. H. Skydsgaerd. Acta Ophthalmo- 1 logiua, 17. 460 (1940). (Scandinavian). Abstracted from J. Am.Med.Assoc., 114,: .1122 (March 25, 1940}. ' One of the most important of oye injuries In persons struck by lightning or who \ work with high tension currents is the delayed cataract which occasionally : appears. The author reports the case of a man who had received a shock of 6000 ' volts and six months later began to notice loss of vision in one eye. A catar act was finally discovered. The author is convinced that the electrical trauma was cho cause. He says that this type may present only features which are com mon to a large group of cataracts; however, they appear late and may be uni lateral or bi-lateral. He contends that lesions near the eye are not necessary for the development of the cataract and that the strength of current is not of decisive importance, but that it3 duration may be an essential factor. Ho enu merates the theories for the explanation of the causo of the cataract but be lieves that no one of them could alone produce the effect, 296. The Course of Disabling Morbidity among Industrial Workers, 1921-1938. W.M, Gafafor. Ind. Med., 9_, 55-61 (February, 1940}. The material upon which this report is based is from the reported experience of the memberships of industrial sick benefit associations, primarily (43#) in iron and steel but also { 21Tj) in public utilities and (36#) miscellaneous. The latter is c.-.nposed of data from the chemical, plumbing fixture, electrical equipment, paper, timepieces, hats, flour, and soap industries. A brief summary of a com prehensive illustrated analysis shows that all sickness is displaying a downward trend, more apparent in males, the prime mover being the respiratory diseases. Non-industrial injuries incline upward for both sexes. A rising curve ia evident for males in appendicitis, diseases of the heart and of the circulatory system. Normal rates of pneumonia and rheumatic diseases are relatively high for the iron and steel industry while relatively low for all sickness, respiratory dis eases, respiratory tuberculosis and diseases of the circulatory system. 297. Annual Safety Equipment Issue. March, 1940. National Safety News. 210 pp. National Safety Council, Inc., 20 N. Wackor Drive, Chicago, Illinois. This large issue contains six chapters on: Porsonel Equipment, Mechanical Equipment, Fire and Plant Protection, First Aid and Medical Service, Sanitary Equipment and Supplies, and Miscellaneous Products and Services. Articles of interest to Foundation readers include: Industrial Ventilation, Lighting for the Plant, Better Housekeeping, Fatigue, and Skin Infections from Cutting Oils. 298. Li3t of American Standards. American Standards Association, 29 West 39th Street, New York, N. Y., January 15, 1940. A list of the published standards in civil, mechanical, electrical, mining, chemical, safety, highway traffic and other engineering fields. They cover definitions of terms, specifications for metals and other materials, methods of tost for the finished product, dimensions, safety provisions for use of machin ery and methods of work, etc. These standards represent the composite work of six hundred trade, technical, governmental and other groups. 299. New Problem in the Field of Industrial Hygiene. VI. Occupational Poisons, Reproduction and Offspring. 0. Ehrismann. Deutsch. med. Wchnschr., 65, 1802 1306 (1939), (Gennan), This is a report, based on the literature, of injury to the powers of reproduc tion and to the offspring, caused by alcohol, nicotine, lead (a father's poison ing supposedly affects the children), magnesium, mercury, chromium, iodine, arsenic, carbon disulfide, benzene, phosphorus and thallium. Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 9. 300. Physiologic Observations on Caisson Workers. W. Marquort and J, Rietz. Ztschr. f. d. ges. exq. Med., 106, 597-775 (November 3, 1939). Abstracted from J. Am. Med. As3oc., 114. 1028 (March IS, 1940.) J3 No increase in basal metabolism w&3 found in caisson workers exposed to 3.75 na 3) atmospheres. There is increased respiratory volume with a simultaneous decrees^* in frequency but no increase in vital capacity. The pulse showed a decrease SB ia frequency in s,.it of tho hard physical labor. There is a decrease in erthyrocytos but this quickly returns to normal. I* :e 301, Compressed Air Illness (with special Reference to the middle ear). W.H. Requarth .and A. 3 3on.sen. Ind. Med., 9_, 115-121 (March, 1940). The etiology, pathology, symptoms and. treatment of compressed air sickness in pressures over 15 pounds are presented. The most efficient treatment is stage decompression. In general, the laws of this country pertaining to work in com- ^1 presced air recommend a combined stage and uniform decompression which is not equal to the method of stage decompression as practiced in other countries, notably England. Workers in increased atmospheric pressure up to 12 pounds present certain symptoms referable to tho middle ear and Eustachian tube. Usually c=^ considered miner, these complaints assumo major proportions when viewed from the standpoint of workmen's compensation insurance. The only adequate treatment 3 of theso middle ear complaints is prophylactic. This is best carried out by a well-planned medical program consisting essentially in a careful, Intensive edu =5 cation of men in the use of preventive measures and the selection of employees on the basis of critical examination of the respiratory tracts. -- Author's summary. 302, Antiseptics and Their Action. R.M. Freeman. Ind. Med., 9, 87-88 (February, 1840). " The author discusses briefly the general subject of antiseptics -- their advan tages and disadvantages -- and concludes that azochlorsmid is a valuable and safe member of this group. It is usod in 1/300 solution in triacetin. 303. The Inguinal Ligament. C.M. Hillenbrand. Ind.Iied., 9_, 83-85 (Fobruary, 1940). In a study of 500 cases, of which 300 had inguinal hernias, it was concluded that: (1) individuals with an inguinal ligament of less than 11 cm. have little tendency to formation of inguinal hernia; (2) cases measuring 11 to 15 cm. who develop hernias always have an indirect typo; (3) as the length of the inguinal ligament increases from 15 to 19 cm. the hernias aro of the direct type. This will be of interest to industrial physicians v;ho need a practical aid in deter mining whether the so-called borderline cases with large rings, loose rings, etc., should be hired. Its use in job placement is at once obvious. 304, 305. The Anti-Syphilis Campaign. P.J. Ochsncr. Ind.Med., 9_, 77-79 (February, 1940). Through its contact with half of the population, industrial medicine has a won derful opportunity to act as a case finder for syphilis. A sixty-day survey revealed that the number of individuals under treatment represented only onesixth of the potential treatment load. Industrial physicians can be of great assistance in seeing that patients receive their required courses of continuous therapy, of prime importance in the treatment of syphilis. Only two types of syphilis are liable to produce accidents, the cardiovascular and tabetic or paretic. If these are excluded, there is no available evidaua to show that sypliilitics are more accident-prone than non-syphilitics. The type of syphilis encountered in industrial practice is usually non-infectious and they may be permitted to continue work provided they undergo continued treatment. A Practical Approach to Supervision of Mental Health In Industry. F.S. Parney. Ind. Mad., 9, 72-77 (February, 1940). In the author's opinion, the successful treatment of psychoneurosis lies not in the nan or his job, nor even in his immediate difficulty, but in the doctor's capacity to lead the patient to a recognition of his funcemontal problem and the necessity of facing up to it. JS HiiBB-0010005 Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 10. 306. 'dfcmen In Industry. M.S. Pidgeon. U.3. Dept, of Labor, Women's Bureau, Bulle tin No. 164, pp. 65 (1938). This is an outline for group study of the subject of the employment of women in industry and the general conditions under which they work. Ten aspects of the subject have been considered separately. Of moot interest here is Chapter V -- "Health Standards for Women's Work" which has been divided into four parts _ (1) Service facilities and sanitary conditions in the workplace, (S) special health needs, (3) industrial hazards - injuries, and (4) industrial hazards disease. 307. Study of the Factors of Employability. G.A. Paul. Ind. Ifed., 9_, 79-82 o_. (February, 19^0). A survey of a particular industrial organization which showed that many of the workers have major physical disabilities and that the proportion of these dis abilities increase as the workers become older. Unwise legislation may throw obstacles in the way of the physically handicapped by increasing the scope of compensation in cases of aggravation of pre-exi3ting illness. 308. The Doctor's Part in the Personnel Program. G.A. Coburn. Ind, Med., 9_, 64-66 (February, 1940). The pl-.nt doctor plays an important part in a number of activities: in employ a ment, by assisting the employer to secure the most satisfactory type of person nel; in transfers, by over-seeing tho proper replacements of employees; in safety by acting in an advisory capacity to the safety department; in collective bar gaining, many of tho grievances or complaints have to do with matters in the med ical territory; in maintaining satisfactory employer-employee relationship, by his numerous contacts with large numbers of employees which by careful handling can form the foundation of sound relations; in maintaining satisfactory public relationship, by his outside contacts with the local medical profession, hospi tals, health agencies and organizations. 309. Relationship of Industrial Medicine to Private Practice. S.J. Saeger. Ind. Med., 9_, 66-69 (February, 1940). "The foremost objectives of industrial medicine..,,.: (1) to fit every person to types and quantities of work according to his ability to perform such work continually without undue impairment, without injury to himself or his fellow workmen, and with profit to himself and his -employer; (2) to procure and main tain fitness for work through efforts applied to the worker as an individual; (3) to educate the worker to a comprehension of the value and significance of physical and mental well-being and, in particular, of personal hygiene and acci dent prevention; (4) to reduce all loss of time, absenteeism and short work spans in industry, the cause of which may be related in anyway to health." The author also discusses the problems which have arisen between the practice of private medicine and. the establishment of modem industrial medical departments in large industries. 310. Small Plant Hired Nurse -- Saves. M.G. Hblstine. Factory Man. &Main., pp.68 69 (March, 1940). Lost time due to injuries or sickness totaled 23 weeks in the year previous to the installation of this regular first-aid department. This was reduced to a little over two weeks in the first year under the resident nurse set-up. There is also the improved employee health and comfort, as well as compensation sav ings and increased wages for workers who ore not off because of illness. 311. The Industrial Nurse. H.M. James. Ind.Med., , 61-64 (February, 1940). The qualifications of the industrial nurse may be listed under physical, person al and professional headings. These are of particular importance in the nurse who works alone on a small organization as she is often the sole representative A ! __ -1 (3 r'r' A Cn Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 11, of Industrial medicine, In industries where it is possible to use visiting service, experience has proved this function of tho nurse to be a most valuable one. "The industrial nurse has certainly left her 'finger wrapping' and hn3 advanced into a highly important role in industry." 312. X-ray in Industry. M.W. Clift, Ini. Mod., 9_, 51-52 {February, 1940). It has been demonstrat'd that the initial coat of x-ray equipment is on extreme ly small factor in the economics of a medical department. The author's exper ience is that tho entire capital investment has not only boon liquidated but has also shewn a dividend. Tho greatest dividend, however, has come from the salvaging of individuals 'working in factories <md by appreciating their physical needs, placing them back in industry in positions they con adequately fill. As an agent in reducing expense by decreasing labor turnover, x-ray equipment is a definite economic measure. 313. A Plan for the Control of Tuberculosis in Industry. II.R. Burnell. Ind.iled., , 49-51 (February,'1940}, ~ I. Pre-Employment Physical Exosiination. Thi3 is lone for tho purpose of placing the individual where ho is best physically as well as mentally fitted. This gives the examining physician the best opportunity to uctect pulmonary tubercu losis and is nut considered complete without an x-ray of tho chest. II. Per iodic Examinations for Old Efaployees, There ere mmerous occasions on which these examinuti.,r.3 should bo made, such as after illness or layoff, but in any case should be mo.de at least once a yoar. Cooperation with the family physician is of paramount importance. Ill, Control of Tuberculosis Within the Plant. The industrial physician is the hoelth officer of the plant -- "it is his duty to locate, identify and detoimine the importcnee of all occupational and environ mental sources of disease or health impairment and to sec that they are correotoh 314. Priceless Possessions. L. Grecnburg. National Safety News 41_, 26-27 (January, 1940K There were 1843 cases of compensated oye injuries in New York State in 1938 and the cost vras $1,165,000, Eighty per cent of these arc caused by foreign matter entering the eye and could be avdded by tho simple and cheap method of wearing goggles. Ventilation controls are needed for eye hazards of toxic dusts and fumes and in the past year, the Division of Industrial Hygiene has passed and approved 2000 sets of plans for such control in factories. Special goggles are needed for protection against radiant energy, and fatigue of the eyes cen bo lessened or eliminated by proper illumination. The author discusses these sight-saving means and methods for promoting their adoption. 315. Tho Ophthalmologist and the V.'orlonen's Compensation Law. J.H. Delaney. Ponna, Med. J., 43, 645-647 (February, 1940). . This 13 a plea for Pennsylvania (and 23 other states) for uniform standards and methods of evaluating visual efficiency and visual loss. Of the 47 state com missions, only 23 have a recognized method end of those, 7 had different stan dards in use -- so that thcro wore 18 different methods of calculating the same problem. This condition exists in spite of the excellent method advanced by the Committee on Ey-, Injuries of the American Medical Association devised after a 6 yoar study. To late only 11 states have adopted tho committee's Teccasaenda- tions. These constitute c threefold method of evaluating vision -- due consid eration of centred, visual acuity for near and far, the weighed factor for con sideration of nuecle balance, and visual fields. The author feels that In testimony the acuity at 14 inches is twice as important as that fit 20 feet since the law intends to compensate a man for reduced earning power and. in most occu pations this of.necessity involves tho eyes for near work. HWbB-0tiiiiLIU6 77 77 ,t=n >--* S3 Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 12. 316. The Use of Air Velocity Meters. G.L. Tuve, D.K. Wright, Jr., and L.J. Siegel. Heating, Piping and Air Cond., 11, 703-709 (November, 1939). The results of an investigation of methods for instrument calibration and study of the practice! use of instruments for measuring cir stream characteristics and sir quantities. The authors claim that the rotr.ting-vane anemometer to be the be3t average instrument; the Volometor (bridled-vune anemometer), the most convenient for spot readings; the heated thermometer, the widest velocity range; the heated thermocouple, best adapted for distant reading; and the kata thermometer, the least expensive. Tho three meesuring standards used wore a thin plate orifice, on electric-thermal meter ana the pitot tube. 317. Some Aprllcaticns of the Rayleigh Interferometer. E.C. Craven. Indus. Chemist, 15, 354-357 (1939)- ` A description of some applications of the Rayleigh interferometer in industrial practice, for example, in determining carbon dioxide and consumed oxygen, ex plosive gr.s concentrations, hydrocarbons in crude hydrogen and the strength of acetic anhydride by naans of the liquid cell. The instrument used, a home-male 50 co. type, is describsd briefly. Instead of a compensating optical method for aligning the bands, pressure is applied and tho manometer reading is proportion al to the gas concentration. 313. Hydrogen Sulfide Detector. F.3. Behrens. Oil and Gas Jour., 36, 36 (March 23, 1940)7 A regenerative scrubbing process for vapors before processing in a non-solective polymer plant entailed the handling of hydrogen sulfide in a comparatively pure state. The hazards involved necessitated the use of a detector. As the usual devices are quite costly, a compact and efficient detector was built at reason able cost by this company. The sampler was designed to handle a volume of 20 cu. ft. of air per minute from 15 different stations. Tho precipitation of lead sulfide on moi3t ler.d-acetate-treated tape cuts off a source of light thu3 affecting a photoelectric cell which operates the alarm system. It any also be used to operate blowers if necessary. Tho detector has also been used for the detection of hydrocarbon leaks where hydrogen sulfide is present in the vapors. The electrical measurements aro sufficiently sensitive and accurate so that percentages well below the danger point can be detected. Illustrations of the device demounted and in a transits housing are shown. 319. Photocolorimetric Determination of Hydrogen Sulfide in Air, as Copper Sulfide. E.P. Kostner. J. AppI. Chem. Russ., 12, 1097 (1939). Air is passed through a solution containing coppor sulfate, gua arable, E0H, and acetate buffer, and the increase in absorption of light by the solution is measured with tho aid of a photo electric cell. The hydrogen sulfide of the air is then read from a curve. 320. Determination of Small Amounts of Aromatic Nitro-Compounds in Air. I.S. SchereschevskaJ a. Proa. Org. Chem., _6, 592-594 (1939). Known colorimetric or nephelometric methods of determining intermediates and by-products of manufacture of 2:5-dichloro-7-mothoxyacridine ore enumerated. 321. Absorption of Cases in Liquids as Used in Industrial Mr Analyses. S.Moskowitz, J. Siogol and W.J. Burke. New York State Dept, of Labor, Industrial Bulletin, 19, 33-35 (February, 1940). A description of apparatus for the collection of air-borne materials which are best absorbed in liquids. In one type, a sintered glass disk Is fused to the end of tho gas entrance tube to aid in the absorption of tho material to be tested. Another type uses an Aloxite stono. By these methods, mixtures of toxic gases may be estimated separately -- complete directions being given for HViBB i--ju itlO il/ Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 13. ;cnsso simultaneous testing for hydrogen sulfide and carbon disulfide. The method for the determination of foimsldohydo in air is also given. Variations of .the appa rstU3 will permit the testing for acid vapors and mists, ammonia, mothcnol and * other alcohols, other aldehydes, and phenols. j :* 322. '/Jcrkmen's Compensation and Occupation'll Disease Laws in the Commonwealth of :c Pennsylvania. M. Behrond, P^nna. Med. J., 43, 18-20 {October, 1939). This is a discussion of the history of the Workmen1s Compensation Act since its first enactment in 191b up to the act of 1939. The author speaks of the con troversy between the physician and the insurance company as to the right of the injured man tc choose hi3 physician. He advocates a "universal'' workmen's compensation law for the injured which ho feels should be accomplished through a Federal Act. Although there are 672,000 employees exposed to industrial dis ease hazards in Pennsylvania, less than 20 cases have been posted with the com pensation board. This is in port due to the ignorance of the laborers and also tc the fact that the adoption of claims for occupational diseases is optional with the companies. Papers on Industrial Poisons, Cancer. Dermatitis, etc. 323, Report of the Committee on Volatile Solvents to the Industrial Hygiene Section of the /mericon Public Health Association. H.F. Smyth, Jr., Secretary (October 17, 1939). This exhaustive report includes 398 articles on the subject of "Volatile Sol vents" and yet only covers the period 1937-19331 This gives evidence of the exceedingly rapid growth of the literature on this subject. Better than half of the articles abstracted wore on the aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons. Of 227 papers reporting original experiments or clinical observations, 149 dis cussed these substances. Due to the inclusion of a report on trichloretbylene covering 20 years, this hazard leads the solvents in relative toxicity as judged by case3 and deaths reported. If the weight of this paper is discounted, ben zene and homologs are in first place. No important new diagnostic or control methods are reported. There aro suggested revisions or new safe limitB for benzene, carbon disulfide, chlorinated naphthalenes and diphenyls, methyl "Cellosolve," and tetrachlorethylene. There is a short discussion of the pro blem of precautionary labeling. There arc numerous tabulations, a general discussion of the literature and a discussion of some of the more important solvents. There is on author index and the lengthy list of references with annotations. 324, Research upon the Toxicity of Benzene. R. Charlier. Arch, intern, phoroacod.ynanie. 61. 121 (1939). (French). Commercially pure benzene like chemically pure benzene possesses a paralyzing action upon the peripheral vasomotor system of the mil anT by direct action upon the muscle fibers of the vessels and may be clearly toxic upon the myocardium. The commercially pure product i3 nevertheless possessed of a greater toxicity than that of the chemically pure. The major toxicity is not duo to the presence of tliioprene in the commercial product, but to the presence of other compounds which distill between 80,4 and 81.2. The study from the phaxmaco-dyncmlo view will be a subsequent undertaking, 325, Comparative Action of Pure and of Crystaliizable Commercial Benzene on the Heart Volume of Dobs. J. Barzin and R. Charlier. Coopt, read. Soc. de Biol., 152. 295-297 (1939). (French). Commercial crystallizable benzene, perhaps because of the impurities, is more toxic than the pure, Each, however, affects the myocardium, seriously. HWBB-Ii8 iiju u 9 Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 14. 326. Suluhemoglobinanemla from. Poisoning by Nltrobenzol In Industry. E.C. Vigliani end G. Donnti. Hass. Med. In.'ust., 10, 334-51 (1939). (Italian). This man was engaged in dipping metal gauze impregnated with rubber in a steel vessel filled with nitrcbenzol. He worked without gloves and his hands, arms, and clothing would be saturated. Tho workroom was unventilatcd. After the first lay he felt a sort of deafness with headache, malaise, irritation of the throat, giddiness and mental obtusenoss. His skin became blue ana blood examin ation showed the spectrum of sulph-r.oglobin. The production of this condition is ascribed to tho combined action of aitrooensol and hydrogen sulfide formed by hydrolysis of tho organic sulfur compounds in the vulcanized rubber. Though this condition is thought to be very rare, the authors feel that they are quite frequent but go unrecognised. 327. Diseases in Agricultural Workers Caused by Calcium Cyonamlde. H. Gartner. Hunch. i;iei, V.'chnsehr. 86, 1745-1748 (1939'). (German). Commercial calcium cyanamide usually contains only 6055 calcium cyanide. In " coses of injury from this substance, the greatost number showed damage to the skin and eyes, but the author reports also on 8 cases where intornal Injury was present. There were general complaints 3uch as nausea, weakness, numbness and later a hyperemia, limited to the head and upper part of the trunk, and bronchi tis. In 2 fatal case there was bronchopneumonia and glomerulonephritis. In one, the effect of alcohol was increased by the raw product; in several others, tho alcohol aggravated tho effect of the raw calcium cyanaraldo. 328. Chloroform Liver Injury. L.L. Miller and G.H. Whipple, Am.J.Med.Sci., 199. 204-216 (February, 1940). Liver injury due to chloroform increases in extent as the protein body stores are depleted. In a protein-depleted dog 15 to 20 minutes of chloroform anesthe sia i3 frequently fatal 'with extensive hyaline liver necrosis and the typical picture of chloroform poisoning. Twelve minutes of chloroform onesthesia in a protein-deploted dog will cause moderately severe livor injury. Protein deple tion is effected by low protein diets alone or combined v,ith bleeding or plasma pheresis, Control experiments in dogs without protoin depletion indicate that 90 minutes of chloroform anesthesia can be tolerated with but little liver in jury, 329. Studies on the Mechanism of the Protective Action of Xanthine Against Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning. J.C. Forbes and E.L. Outhouse. J. Pharm. & Exp. Therap., 68, 185-193 (1940). The injection of xanthine India ink, tri-calcium phosphate and sodium ricinoleate, all materials which protect the livers of rats from injury due to carbon tetrachloride or chloroform, were shown to cause a fall in serum ostem.se con centration. The marked rise in serum esterase concentration that occurs in rats poisoned with carbon tetrachloride or chloroform i3 inhibited by the previous administration of xanthine. It is suggested that the maintenance of normal serum-esterase values and the increased resistance of hepatic tissue to poison ing with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform are both associated with a repair process occurring in the tissues at tho site of injection of the protective sub stance. 330. Paraphonylcnodlamine. .J,Am,Med,A3Soc. {Queries and Minor Notes) 114. 274 (January 20, 1940). Exposure in this man {evidently a photographer) resulted in a constrictive chest pain 'which disappeared whan the toxic substance was withdrawn. The Industrial use of paraphenylenodiamine is outlihed, especially its usa in the fur and rubber trades, tt can apparently be absorbed through the intact skin, or bo inhaled in vapor or dust farm. It may cause dermatitis, urticaria, edema and asthma. It should either be eliminated or rubber gloves and ventilation should be provided. HHiiB-tiulGtilU Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 15. 351. Urinary Excretion of Porphyrins by Chemical Workers. 0. Rimington. end M.W. Goldblatt, Lancet, pp, 73-7sT-tarnary 13, 1940). (British.). In workmen exposed to nitro end amino bodies, cyanosis is frequent, due to methemoglobinemia. Toxic symptoms seldom occur. These bodies, of which aniline Is an example, increase the urinary excretion of porphyrins. This excretion was studied in workers without exposure, with slight exposure and with greet expo sure, The porphyrins in micrograms per 1500 of urine averaged 30 for the first group, 70 for the second and 117 for the third. No worker was cyanosed or in anyway clinically abnormal when the specimens wore collected, V/hether the health is ultimately affected follov/ing this great increase in excretion has not been -determined. It i3 suggested that this examination of the excreted porphy rins might prove of value in detecting those hypersensitive to aromatic nitro and amino bodies. 332. Health Hazards In the Rubber Industry. A.N. Currie. Trans. Inst. Rubber Ind,, 15., 137-151 (1939) , The risks and regulations are surveyed with especial reference to the use of lead compounds, silica, chlorinated naphthalenes, iusts, benzene, carbon disul fide, carbon tetrachloride and trichlorethylene. The industry, says the author, is remarkably free from troubles arising from these sources. $ 333. Industrial Health Series. U.. Dept, of Labor, Div, of Labor Standards. May bo obtained from Sup't of Documents, Washington, D.C., for 5 conts each. No. 10 -- Wood Alcohol Poisoning. 4 pp. Ho, 11 -- Chlorinated Solvents. 4 pp. No. 13 -- Injury from Acids and Aklolies. 5 pp. Each fc "j',.-klot contains data on the industrial sources of the hazard, how the poisening or injury occurs, signs and symptems, treatment and care, and methods of protection and prevention. 334. Biomicroscopic Studies of the Effect of Cobalt Dusts (Smaltito and Cobaltito) on the Cornea, A. Pollcard and J. Roilet, Compt. rend. Sue. de Biol., 132, 192-193 (1939). (French). A considerable time after exposure, smaltite, Co(As)g, creates serious reactions. Sulfarsenide of cobalt (cobaltite) causes only a slight reaction. 335. Comparative Toxlcities of Cobalt and Nickel. F. Caujolle. J. phaim. chimle., 29/410-413 (1939). (French). In animals cobalt is always loss toxic than nickel, the latter causing the appoaran.ee of definite symptoms of intoxication much sooner. The fatal doses in dogs is 10-20 mg. per Eg. for nickel, and 30 mg. per Eg. for cobalt. Those doses were determined by Intravenous Injection of solutions of the chlorides into anesthetized animals. The histologic lesions of the liver and kidneys are more pronounced after administration of nickel than after equivalent quantities of cobalt. In equal doses, cobalt chloride activates the salivary and pancreatic amylases to a greater extent than does nickol chloride. 336. 337. Toxicology of Nickel. F, Caujolle and G. Canal. J.phnxm.chimie., 29, 391-405 (1939). (French). The respiratory and cardiac nerve centers ore affected. Nickel is removed by all evacuating means, but as the action of the metal is intensified the elimin ation is slower and biliary elimination is almost blocked. These are the re sults of intravenous injections in dogs. The Effect of Yeast on tho Incidence of Cirrhosis Produced by Lead Arsenate. ff.C. Von Olaim anfTIB. TQnn'. ''~'m.JVPat'h., (1939).------------------- la series of rabbits given lead arsenate a3T yeast, the frequency of the areas of oepatic necrosis and the incidence of cirrhosis were considerably reduced com pared to thc3e not given yeast. There seems to be no connection between hepatic glycogen content and the incidence of cirrhosis. nhi) B -iH i 11)011 Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 16, 338. Manganese Poisoning in the Steel Industry: A Case of Mnngsnlsm In a gerro-Man 0 ?snese Worker. H. Voss. Arch.f .Gewerbepcth. u. Gewerbehyg., 9_, 453^463 (l939), German). This is -a more complete abstract of Item No. 842, November, 1939. Since there have been only 230 cases of manganese poisoning reported since 183 the author concludes that it is relatively a rarity considering the extensive use of manganese and its compounds. This is duo, he feels, to the fact that few people have the constitution for the development of a chronic manganism, that apparently not all compounds of manganese can produce chronic poisoning, and r1^ that the chronic conditions can only arise where manganese or its compounds are inhaled or swallowed in dust or fume for a sufficiently long period of tine in (3 sufficient amount. Damage to the central nervous system has been observed in extraction, sorting, and loading of ores, working up of pyrolusite (MnOg), and in processes involving the evolution of metallic fumes, for instance, in welders using electrodes containing this motal. The most serious cases, however, have occurred in men engaged in smelting zinc ores which contained large amounts of manganese. This patient worked in a poorly ventilated room in which ferro 0 manganese and forro-silicon were milled and sieved. His job was to transport open vessels of ferro-iasnganesa to the mills, to empty them and shovel the metal & into the funnel of the mill. At a later stage he had to put the finely milled e> metal through an electrically shaken sieve. Both operations produces vast amounts of dust. His first symptoms were weakness of the left leg and a stony stare. Speech was low and indistinct. He had to quit work and finally became sc weak and clumsy that he could not stand. Hi3 speech became increasingly un intelligible and he drooled. There were fits of involuntary weeping and laugh ing. He was relatively impotent but evidently not sterile. The author summar izes the neurological findings and differentiates the condition from paralysis agituns, pseudo-sclerosis, Wilson's disease, post-encephalitic parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, etc. That ills fellow-workers did not develop the syndrome, is evidence of predisposition. 339, Tetraethyl Lead Poisoning and its Treatment. Experimental Investigations. W. Lancs. Deutsch. med. V.'chnschr., 65, 1746-1748 (1939). (Genian). When animals which had hoen injected with tetraethyl lead were given "GlyconoTTn1' (containing the vitamin B complex), their symptoms were diminished very much or lives wore prolonged. This effoct, however, was not obtained if the lead was inhaled. Experiments on the brains of animals killed by intraperitoneal injec tion of tetraethyl lead were performed with the Warburg respirooeter. In the author's opinion there was a significant decrease of carbon monoxide. He be lieves that the effect of lead tetraethyl (or of lead) depends partly on injur ing the vitamin B -- nicotinic acid amide complex. 340. Lead Content of Human Blood. J.N. Chalmers. Lancet 238. 447-450 (March 9, 1940). (British). Raised concentrations of lead in the blood indicate, in the same way as do stippled cells in blood films, an increased absorption of lead but by no means constitute definite evidence of plumbisa. They provide a useful estimate of the degree of oxposure to lead. There is no close correlation between the duration of exposure to lead and the blood lead value. In 70 people with no known industrial exposure to lead, the range of blood-lead volueswas 30-89 micrograms per 100 cc. with a mean of 57. In 44 load workers, who bad no symptoms of lead poisoning, the blood-load values were 60-192 micrograms per 100 cc. with a mean of 104. There was some slight degree of stippling in the bleod films of 34 of these lead workors. HWBii-0018012 Digest of Industrial Hygiene - 17. 341. They Get the Dust Before it Gets Then. 3.F. Morris. Factory Man. & Main., (Main, Services) pp. 82-83 (March, 1940). This is a description of the results of a plan to control a lead poisoning hazard. Through the uso of mechanical dust controls supplemented by an intell igent industrial health program, nor a case resulted in five years in this bat tery plant. Economies resulting from this plan hare offset the cost of install ing and operating a highly efficient, yet simple, control method. Where poss ible, dust v.'as controlled at its Source, but in addition, respirators ore used or. particularly dusty operations. Periodic physical examinations, blood tests, and rotation of crews wore other steps in the control program. Plant surveys were made at monthly intervals as a check on all mechanical safeguards. 342. Effect of Bismuth Therapy on Latent Plumbism. S. Epstein. Arch. Derm. Syphil., 41, 38-41 (January, 1940). The cases of a painter and a smelter worker ire presented. Signs and symptoms w 'j of lead poisoning ir. both patients followed the administration of bismuth in the Q treatment of a syphilitic infection. It is suggested that bismuth may re place the lead stored in the bones and bring on the mobilization of lead, with a tne development of such symptoms G3 cramps and a lead line. Prophylactic treat ment of lead poisoning in those exposed t,, the influence of the metal nay de crease the incidence of untoward reactions following bismuth therapy. 343. Lead Poisoning, Part I. Pennc. Dept, of Labor & Industry, Safe Practice Bulletin #52, February, 1940. Edited by R. L. Hbutz. Depending upon the rote of absorption of lead in the body, its storage in the tissue, its mobilization and elimination from the body there are produced the clinical pictures known as acute, latent and chronic plumbism. The severity of the resulting toxicity depends on the lead present in the blood stream (not the total load but the serum or pathological lead); the degree of acidosi3 (pH); and such pathological conditions which interfere with its elimination from the body. The degree of severity of the symptoms, rather than the kind, indicates the type of plumbism. This is the bulletin which should precode the Part II which was abstracted as Ho. 228 in the March digost. 344. The Effect of Vitamin C on Load Poisoning. H.N. Holmes, K. Campbell and E.J. Ambcrg. J. Lab. Clin. Med., 24, 1119-1127 (1939). A study of the effects of vitamin A, D and C, calcium gluconate, lactate and diphosphate and ascorbic acid on men suffering from lead poisoning. The latter substance was suggested by the resemblance between chronic lead poisoning and subclinical scurvy. The authors believe that whereas calcium gluconate and lactate cause lead phosphate deposit in the bones, necessitating cautions de leading, vitamin C causes formation of a soluble but unionized lead ascorbic salt or complex, which is preferentially absorbed in the liver and, with tho aid of the bile, excreted in the feces. Included in a list of foods providing known quantities of vitamin C. 345. Toxicity of Carbon Monoxide at High Altitudes. J.W. Heim. J. Aviation Med., 10, 211 (Deceiabor. 1939). Abstracted from J.An.Med.Assoc.. 114, 1113 (March 23, 1940). Studies show that a concentration of 0.01$ of carbon nanoxide in the air at 10,000 feet reduces tho oxygen-carrying capacity of the hemoglobin by 10.5$, thereby bringing the blood into a state of anoxemia. It is thus apparent that a concentration of carbon monoxide which is innocuous at Bea level becomes dan gerous at this altitude. It is therefore imperative that not a trace of carbcu monoxide should bo permitted to exist in airplane compartments at even moderate altitudes. n Digest if In-uctrir.l Hygiene - 13 9 9-H 9 05) 346. Treatment ,t Carbon i:.r.. xiio P-.is nisa. L. Biaet. Prcssc ::cd., : . 1600-1501 fi939r."TPrTtiiS7:----------------------- k '.Then expv. sed tc illur.inutir-g gas passed thr .ugh in aqur.riur.:, g.ldfish die, j although they ere r.ot affected by pure carbon :i n -xidc. Tho gas also contains361 ^rusrio acid in the mrunt 0.1 ng./liter. S^'iun hyp .sulfite aided to the '.v-ter vrf.ll provide .r^teeticn. Experiments vrfth isolated lur.gs shwed that breathing p.ure oxygon caused carbon r...noxide to dlsapi-e-Jf foster then when only ~ir is inhslea. Additional acceleration was obtained by adding methylene blue (0.005 /450 cc.) t.j the bl-o 1 streaming through the lung. 34?. C".rfc- n l.lon'xiie Poisoning. l/.D, idcKclly. J. Aichigan Strte ..ed, See., 36, 3"?T (1939). Abn/iualities of the svinal functi.n result fron severe gassing, and natonical e=3 changes occur chiefly in the central norv- us system. A ^syclusis, usually teriiir.r-.ry in char', cter, is the gym.-ton coi-iionly noted after carbon monoxide vcisoning. Confusion and bevrfldement is followed by loss of memory. Amnesia in some foru is the Most regular feature of the , sychosis, and usually consists in defects of mer.ivry, Nervous sequelae vary, fron slightly increased deer- re & flexes tc '.veil advanced Parkinsonism. Sensory disturbances consist in shin anesthesia ana . erip.hernl motor neuritides, l/hile all the cases vrfll improve, the final result defends ui.on the initial damage. myocardial involvement following carbon nenoxide ^oisoninG is more comcn than is generally supposed. Coronary lesions due to this fjas have been often reported. 34S. Prevention of Industrial Dermatitis. J.V. KlaUder, E.R. Gross and H. Brows, .rch. Perm, k Sy. hil., 41, 551 (February. 1940). - In the authors* op inion much of the industrial shin disease is caused by the methods of cleaning the shin. They discuss their studies of shin cleansing, methods and materials used and the use of ..rotectivo applications, of which , they give eight formulae. Substitutes for mechanic abrasive son? are riven. There is a discussion of various hinds of soaps, and detergents such as tri ethanolamine soap, naphthenic acid soap and sulfonated oils. In the authors* opinion the detergent properties of the vegetable meals is not sufficiently appreciated. 349. Allergic Occupational Dermatoses. L. Schwarts, J. Allergy, 11^, 318-322 (march, 1940)". In a compilation of about 10,000 cases of occupational dermatoses, it was found that the large majority are caused by primary irritants. It is in the groups listed under plants, dyes, dye intermediates, rubber and its compounds, and vegetable oils, fats and waxes that will be found the cases of allergic occupa tional dermatoses. These comprise less than 18*S of the 10,000 cases. In allergic occupational dermatitis there is always a period of incubation, usually 8 to 21 days, although it may be longer. This definite period of incubation is a very important medicolegal point because a worker may Justly claim he develop ed an occupational dermatitis three weeks after leaving his last job. Desen- sitizetion as well us sensitization occurs in industry. 'Jorhers who do not develop such an ii^iunity should be transferred to other occupations. If dif ficulties are one untered using the patch test, the passive transfer should be tried. There is list of chemicals given which have . roduced allergic occu pational dermatitis. INDEX (Ajril, 1940) Antiseptics Employability Personnel 302 307 en .loyal: ility 307 nodical factors 308 Asbestosi3 Eye, general 282 295-314-315 Paraphenylenedlamine 330 aXL-T Aspergillosis 286 Gas analysis 317-318-319-320-321 Porphyrins, excretion 331 Benzene Hernia 0 324-325 Boo!i reviews '303 Industrial health publications Respirators 288 . j 276 533 Rubber industry 332 Bronchonycosls Industrial hyviene, <'.;eneral 283 299 Sllicosi3i general 277-278-279-289 Caisson workers Industrial nedicine 300-301 305-309 Solvents, volatile 323 Calciun cyananlde Lead 327 340-341-342-343-344 Standards 298 Carbon nonoxide Lead arsenate 345-346-347 337 Statistics, norbldlty and mortality Carbon tetrachloride Lead tetraethyl 296 329 339 Tuberculosis Cataract, electric Legal decisions 313 295 272-273-274-275 Ventilation Chloroform t .niy.anase 316 328 338 Syphilis Cobalt 334-335 meetings 269-270-271 304 Welding Dermatitis 348-349 Nasal filter 287 294 Women, In Industry Dust control 290-291-292-293 Nickel 335-336 306 Workmen*s compensation Dusts Nitro-benzol 322 cobalt 334 326 ochre 284 X-ray organic 285 Nurse, industrial 312 silica 280-281 310-311