Document JGv8dL4LQy4VKxjOZyVpnZQ2

HMB8-001233O s ^ :} Vol. 9 FOUNDATION FACTS Foundation Facts is a monthly news-letter issued to industrial concerns holding membership in Industrial Hygiene Foundation, The Foundation is a non-profit association of industries for the advancement of healthful working conditions. March. 1947 HO Walter. . Paine Walter S. Paine, veteran industrial health and safety engineer of Aetna Casualty and Surety Company, and a member of the Foundation's Legal Committee, died at Hartford, Conn., on March 8. Mr. Paine was bom in England In 1883 and was educated at Green Mountain Junior College and at Syracuse University, from which institution he was graduated in 1911 in mechanical engineering. He joined Aetna in 1915. At the time of his death Mr. Paine was a member of the board and chairman of the executive committee of the National Safety Council. He was also rctive in the American Standards Association. Annual Index Issued . L----li The annual index, covering INDUSTRIAL HIGIENE DIGEST for 1946, is now being issued to Member companies and Subscribers. Additional copies may be had upon request. Please note that the Foundation does not have extra copies of arti cles abstracted in the Digest, unless the abstract so states. For copies of briginal articles please communicate with the publications from which the material is 1 taken. Lists of these publications, together with addresses, are also available (upon request. r^Qj Role of the Supervisor There are many esses, says the National Foremen's Institute, "where super- 'jzL-jvisors cannot do anything about a health hazard. It may be a job for an engineer. ,'PQBut it is always the supervisor's responsibility to call existing or developing ii=^Jhealth and safety hazards to the attention of management. For, in most coses, top ^^jexecutives have no one to turn to but the supervisor for information on what is going ;"-^on at the plant. And since top executives know that a disregarded health hazard is always accompanied by inefficiency of operation and frequently results in labor o ctrouble, they expect their supervisors to spot and report health hazards whenever and T^ywherever they develop." - "Men versus Machines? 03118654 The first "letter to the editor" in the March issue of Fortune is by leodore F. Hatch, the Foundation's Research Director, commenting upon a recent r--particle on "Men versus Machines." Mr. Hatch points out teat "if we are to realize tee full benefits from further mechanization, machines must be designed to meet human as well as functional requirements." I -H -F INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE FOUNDATION 4400 FIFTH AVgNUS PITTSBURGH fij). PA, tEEZlOB-flflttM 'idJA (35j TABLE OF CONTENTS News Items.................................. . Occupational Disease Statistics............................ Legal Developments.................................................... Book Revi ews and Nnt-f ops. ...................................... Industrial Medical Practice............................... Industrial Health Hazards and Their Effects*.., RlHn DiseasPR flnd Rti'r'ps. ...................... . flnrvfcTnl lfp+JinrlR. ............................... Methods of Detection and Determination............... Laboratory Toxicological Studies...................... Industrial Relations, Personnel............................ RphsTvi 1 ^ tnfcioTl................................. Absenteeism, Hours of Labor, Etc,........................ Insurance and Medical Economics.....*............. Pit VH t r* Roelth....................................................... AoHrfpnt. Prftvsn+.l nil__ ____..................... Index........ .......... ................ ........................... ........... Fags (3$ L----- J 03118655 HH8B-001233/P March, 1947 Vol. XI No. 3 Industrie! Hygiene Foundsti 4400 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh 13, Pennsylvania INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE DIGEST Literature end News *" ^ TM m 1 News Items 245 Tndnstripl health Specialists to Meet in Buffalo. . Professional personnel in industrial health work will assemble at the Hotel Etatler, Buffalo, N.Y., April 26 through May 4. The meeting comprises the 32nd annual gathering of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INDUS TRIAL PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS} the 9th annual conference of the AMERICAN CONFERENCE OF GOVERNMENTAL INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS: the 8th annual meeting of the AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE ASSOCIATION: the 5th annual conference of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRIAL NURSES, and the 4th artpnaT meet ing of the AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRIAL DENTISTS. The sessions will be replete with new subjects of interest, including, round table discus sions for chemists, engineers, physicians and nurses; a symposium on developments in industrial hygiene} a discussion of state codes and indus trial hygiene administration; conferences on environments1 control and analytical procedures; clinics on fractures and traumatic surgery, includ ing a symposium on back problems; hazards incident to the use of the atomic tomb, etc. (Copies of the preliminary program may be secured-from Indus trial Hygiene Foundation or from Dr. Edward C. Holmblad, Managing-Director of the American Association of Industrial Physicians and Surgeons, 28 East Jackson Elvd*, Chicago 4, 111.) 246 Occupational Disease Clinic Established tn Pittsburgh. Hie School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, announces the es tablishment of an Occupational Disease Diagnostic Clinic by the Department oo of Industrial Hygiene at the Falk Clinic, Pittsburgh, at 9*00 AJI. each Saturday* This clinic is for the study of diseases whose etiology is as sociated with industrial environment. It is open to cases referred by physicians for study and diagnosis only. Reports of findings will be trans mitted upon completion of study to the referring physician. Opportunity must be afforded in all cases for a study of the individual job or process by industrial hygiene personnel. Fees only for the laboratory work neces sary or hospital expense when deemed advisable will be charged. This clinic will provide facilities for graduate students in industrial medicine who are enrolled in the School of Medicine. 03118656 Hf/88-0012333 Ittfrrtrt.pl SreifiBg Digest - 2 -March r- IP47 247 <r>) 'i i: 'f7:; __t Sj J J5_n I ----- . iBflirtrtfll Byglsag Sard,sa.,la Qblo, He regulations for the prevention and control of industrial diseases went into effect January 1. They qpecify the maximum permissible amount on an eigfcit hour exposure to 62 dusts, fusee, gases, mists end vapors to which workers can be exposed during employment. The regulations are being administared by the division of industrial hygiene, Ohio Department of Health. Since the work is primarily a service to industry and labor it will function largely on a basis of requests from individual industries, labor organiza tions, health officers and physicians. -- J.A.H.A. (Feb. 15, 1947) - G=^i isl flgy SjgftrtBtariaat for Ohio Division Neaed. Effective as of January 16, 1947, toe Industrial Commission of Ohio appointed Jews H. Fluker to the post of Superintendent of the Division of Safety and Hygiene, to succeed the late Harry L. Sain. At the same time toe Commission named as Assistant Superintendent, to fill toe vacancy caused by the advancement of Hr. Fluker, G.S. Kallenbaugh of Canton. Both officials entered upon their duties immediately. -- Q.I.C, Monitor (Feb., 1947) RcmUiCBB National Heal to Sill. Four Republican members of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare have introduced toe "National Health Act of 1947" - Senate bill 545. The sponsors are* Robert A.--Taft |Ohio), chairmen of the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Ifelfare; H. Alexander Smith (H.J.)$ Joseph H. Ball(Minn.); and Forrest C. Donnell (Mo.). The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare for consideration. Speaking for him self and the co-sponsors of the bill. Senator Taft stated* "Free service will be furnished to those unable to pay. Voluntary health insurance plans will be encouraged, so that health insurance may be available to the great numbers of those too desire it without forcing any one, patient or doctor, to abandon his present practices.....Our proposal proceeds on a fundamentally different phlloephy from that of the Murray-*agrser-Dinge11 bill endorsed by President Truman last year. That bill proposes federal compulsory sickness insurance. All classes of the population would have to pay for this insur ance, in the form of payroll taxes or otherwise, so tost a huge sum amount ing to from three to five billion dollars a year would pour into Washington, This is in contract to toe less than 250 million dollars our plan would re quire." The bill sets up in the'executive branch of the Federal Government an independent agency to be known as the National Health Agency. It would be under the direction of a National Leo 1th Administrator (too must be an outstanding physician) appointed by the President, with the advice and con sent of the Senate. -- Social Legislation Information Service, Inc, (Feb. 21, 1947) l'-250 =3 Pollution- Fltot Does Triolft Jafe Research in toe water laboratory of Ford River Rouge plant* s medical department is aimed at converting waste compounds into valuable by-products, as well as its primary objects of protecting-employees* health and eliminat ing pollution of Detroit River, J.E. Cooper, Director, says. Among develop ments are plans for oil separators in various departments to remove oil from water before it enters the sewer. -- Modem Ind. {Feb., 1947) 0311865-, c=o Industrial gyriene Digest. - Mftvch. IQd'fi, 51 'U./ffd/lntarjeation from Bread. f l / Before the Academy of Medicine of Belgium, Nelis end Stijns described Vierge number of alimentary lead intoxications in a Luxembourg community. Inquiry revealed that the source was a flour which contained lead and had been obtained from a mill the grindstone of which had been relined with lead over a total surface of 500 square centimeters. Samples of the milled flours contained between 40 and ISO mg. of lead per kilogram, and bread made with this flour contained 50 mg. per kilogram. In all thoce who became poisoned e 15-day period of fatigue was followed suddenly by abdominal pains, stubborn constipation, bile stained vomit and anorexia. Loss of weight and anemia generally were severe. There was neither fever nor changes in arter ial pressure. Burton's blue line on the gums was distinct in nearly all the cases. The blood contained numerous erythrocytes with basophil granulations. The urine contained lead. All patients were cured, but the majority had a prolonged convalescence. The authors noted that individual sensitivity to lead varies greatly and that children exhibited & special resistance to this fom of intoxication. -- Belgian Hews, J.A.M.A. (Bar. 1, 1947) 252 pneumoconiosis In. Cutters of Fireproof Brick.. ( Before the Belgian Society of Occupational Medicine, M. Andre reported the professional and pathologic history of s certain number of workers who, after working for years in a limestone quarry, later worked as cutters of fireproof bricks in glass factories and metallurgical shops. These men were completely incapacitated for work because of dyspnea, which in some cases was extreme. The inhaled dusts contain particles of silica. 1-ray films reveal the development end aggravation of the disorder. In some there is true silicosis; in others a sillco-tuberculosis syndrome exists; in still others simple fibrosis. Most striking is the absence of parallelism be* tween the roentgenograms which generally do not show advanced development and the grave functional symptoms* The author concludes that the cutters of fireproof bricks should benefit from the advantages provided by the law on occupational diseases (pneumonoconioses). -- Belgian Mews, J.A.M.A. (Mar. 1, 1947) 255 President' s Conference on Fire Prevention. The President has called a national conference on fire prevention to meet in Washington May 6,7 and 8o The annual toll of deaths has aver aged 10,000 and the property loss in 1946 exceeded $560,000,000, and the conference will endeavor to plan action to reduce those figures drastically. Representatives of municipal end State governments, Federal agencies, and of non-cfficiel organ!rations with a basic interest in fire prevention have been organised into a coordinating committee to draft agenda and to appoint committees. Major General Philip B. Fleeting will be General Chairman* The general plan will follow that of the Highway Safety Conference held last year. 54 WaHnnfll fielenee Frmndtlrm Rill Pnder Active Consideration. Efforts have been renewed in Congress to establish a National Science Foundation which would do the following? (l) Support financially and pro mote research in the fundamental sciences; (2) Support financially and pro mote research in medicine and health; (5) Expand the Nation's scientific 03118658 HHfJB-00123 HHBB-0012335 Tnrteatrtnl flYdaft Dlgegt - * Hart*, 1347 -talent through the granting of scholarships and fellowship8} (4) Support . financially and pronote research for national defense; (5) Coordinate the diverse scientific activities now conducted in the several departmenta and agencies In the Federal Government; (6) Pronote the development of science through international cooperationi -- Social Legislation Information Service, Inc. (larch 17, 1947) BCG Program In Hew lark. The tuberculosis control program of the state health department calls for the nanufacture and nse of the BCG vaccine. Dr. Robert E. Plunkett, Albany, Assistant Health Commissioner, has announced. Dr. Konrad Birkhsug, formerly of Norway, has been engaged to set up the program for the develop ment of- the vaccine and is now working under the direction of Dr. Gilbert Delldorf. - Flans for the distribution of vaccine are being developed jointly by the-medical education and public health committee of the Medical Society of the State -of Jew lork and the state health department. Dr. Plunkett said. A limited number of physicians are to be trained in its use. This is part of- the state's $20,000,000 20-year plan to eradicate tuberculosis. -- {Mar. 1, 1947) Twdmtfcrtwl- AwMrfwwtti - -Industrial accidents in Pennsylvania declined slightly during 1946 for- the first time since the beginning of the war, according to the State Department of Labor and Industry. The department said that 1156 persons w*r*.killed on industrial jobs last year, compared to 1197 in 1945. The number- of non-fatal accidents dropped from 117,485 to 116,220 during the sama-period. All industries showed declines in fatalities. Non-manufac turing and anthracite mining concerns reported slight increases in nonfprtel injuries. Almost 97 per cent of all accidents resulted in loss of hpre than--seven days work. -- United Press Flatoalm, Atonic fttanaM, Grays flair. Causes Cancnr. Add to the dangers of the atomic age a new disease that causae greying hair, liver damage and bene cancer. It Is called "plutonism" and the atomic bomb element, plutonium,'which is poisonous, would be respon sible. Workers in industries using atomic piles for power generation or other purposes will have to be protected against this new disease, just as workers in old-line inAistries must be protected against lead, mercury and other poisonous chemical elements. So far as now known, no human oo being has yet suffered from this disease, but Its existence and its effects have been demonstrated through experimentation. Dr. Austin M. Brues of the Argonne Rational Laboratory (formerly the famous Metallurgical Lab oratory at Chicago wherd the first chain reaction was performed) reported -the experiments and the danger to the conference on medico-legal problems sponsored by the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, the Chicago Medical Society and the Chicago Bar Association. The acute form of plutonisn is like the acute sickness that cooes when the entire body is irradiated with x-rayb or radium. In addition there is gross liver damage and shrinkage of the spleen. When injected into the veins, the chemical is at first tmnotntT^tod In the liver and spleen and later is transferred within the tody to- the tones. -- Science Hews Letter (Mar. IS, 1947) 03118659 HW8B-0012336 Industrial Hygiene Diywat - 5 ILtrch- ie>47 Occupational Disease Statistics 258 Occupational Disease Statistics. Calif.1' Conn. Dec. Feb. 1946 1947 Carbon Monoxide 1 Carbon Tetrachloride 2 Cellulitis Chemical Poisoning (NOC) 44 Conjunctivitis 162 Dermatitis 547 62 Heat 1 Hernia Infections Inflammatory Conditions 99 Lead 5 Metal Fume Ferer Miscellaneous Nasal Septum Perforation Noise 1 Pneumoconiosis Pulmonary and Bronchial 7 Affections Padium 1 Silicosis Skin Diseases (other than dermatitis) Synovitis Dndulant Fever Upper Respiratory 6 Affections_________________________ Totals 875 65 Ind.^ Mich.^ Ohio1 Wash.4 lis.2 Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. Jan. 0242 0242 02^ 1947 0242 lata! 26 9 1 10 41 4 8 SO 256 65 7 5 10 49 2 168 54 1040 1 7 11 5 12 116 1 1 18 11 112 11 125 22 1 S5 4 10 11 1 20 28 6 1 55 55 22 22 55 4 20 10 87 409 142 68 1652 (1) Occupational Disease Claims filed with the Industrial Commission. There were 59,686 dqys lost. Including five deaths from silicosis and three from unspecified causes. (2) Occupational Disease Cases filed with the Health Department. (5) Occupational Disease Cases filed with the Department of Industrial Re lations and tabulated by the Department of Public Health. (4) Occupational Disease Claims filed with the State Department of **abor and Industries. 03118660 HWflfi-0012337 Tadustrial Hvglane Biaamt. - Marsh. 1347 Legal Developments ^259 Federal Labor Laws and Asenciea. A Guide for Stewardr and Supprvianrfi- this., is an official handbook containing a simplified description of , the most important Federal laws and agencies affecting labor* It was wrltgrt.ten for union officials and industry supervisors to help them understand national labor laws* It is offered for use in labor education programs (QU)- where labor legislation is taught* The material is grouped under the fol(^s - lowing headings: (1) labor information and general services available from the U,,S. Department of'Labor: (z) labor-management relatione; (5) wages and hours; (4) modal security; (5) securing employment; (Sj job training and fol education; end (7) veterans5 employment and labor matters* -- Bull. Ho. 79, BiF-. of Lafeotr Standards, U.S. Dept, of Labor. 78 pp. (1946) Copies in (OD) limited quantities available free from that agency, Washington 25, D.C. Kiryr'q W fracture in Parking Lot--^31n.y?tt a A fractured leg sustained by claimant In defendant9 s parking lot, located 250 feet from the mine entrance, when he slipped and fell in the snow after getting out of his automobile 25 minutes before working time, warn non-compensable, because the parking lost was furnished by defendant as a conventmace and was not connected with defendant9 a business or located on defendant*s prwlsee. -- v. oim Aldan Coal Company- Pennsyl vania Superior Court. Ho. 117. January 17,1,947. (CCH) dental Tn+etlan Connection Between Accident, and Eye Detect Although the experts testified that claimant9 s eye defect was in no any-connected with the accidental injection of hot liquid dye into the eye, the court did not feel that it was unreasonable to infer that since there was no eye defect before the accident, and since there was a defect immediately after the occurrence of the accident, that the accident caused the disability. -- follenyen T,, Southern Tonrfced Cnrp,, South Carolina Supreme Court. Ho. 2765. December 16, 1946. (CCH) Ion Prior to Inlnrv. o c Since the employee had 20/70 vision in his left eye prior to an accidental m injury resulting in the loss of the eye, claimant was not entitled to specific compensation for the loss of the remaining vision. -- RaMnaon, Tn r,, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. January 50, 1947. (CCH) Agt-a Bums-.j[,nrTrtTTrT ,, . , - The claimant suffered injury to his foot and ankle and was scarred as the result of acid burns suffered in the course of employment, but the fact that claimant limped was improperly taken into consideration in for mulating an award for disfigurement, and there was no medical testimony supporting an award for leg injury. -- JforfiPt T AftCOF South aro- ~Hti* Supreme Court. Ho. 15,909. January 24, 1947o (C(3I) 03118661 HHBB-001233 Industrial Hygiene Direst - 7 March, .liHXao 264 Ceusnl Connection Between Injury and Mental Condition--t>-- jjeqlcri. Teettaony* The preponderance of the medical testimony ehcnred that claimant's men tal condition was a post-trauma tic neurosis, the result of an injury sus tained in the course of employment, end was in no way connected with claim ant' s arteriosclerosis; the 50% total disability award was affirmed, -- Dobson....?^ Crucible Steel C.o.^ nf America. Hew Jersey Supreme Court, No. 225. February 24, 1947, (CCH) 255 Pevelopment of Tuberculosis-from Common Cold--Connection with Employment in Overheated Room. The provisions of the Workmen* s Compensation Act were not intended as health insurance, and the claimant, who failed to prove any injury to him self other than lowered resistance, due to the exertion of his employment, was not eligible for compensation as the result of tuberculosis contracted through a cold, allegedly brought on by working in an overheated room* -- Quthria v,. -Texas Emplaywra Insurance Association, Texas Court of Civil Appeals, Amarillo. No. 5762. January 13, 1947. (CCH) 236 Pulmonary Fibrosis from Chlorine Fumes--Quiescent Tuberculosis--Common. Law potion v. Occupational Diseases Act. Claimant was not entitled to recover under common law for pulmonary fibrosis caused by the inhalation of chlorine fumes, as the disease is covered by the Pennsylvania Occupational Diseases Act, and Ms only remedy was under that Act. --TntilMn'l T Products Carp. United States District-Coiurt, Western District of Pennsylvania. Civ. Ho. 5470. January 29, 1947. (CCH) 267 Petition for Bn-henring--`Than Llnttatlon for Death-Benefits. Since the statutes provided a limitation of time for the payment of compensation for death resulting from an occupational disease, the ruling in the Slocum case was decisive, and the rehearing was denied* -- Potts v. Fortnev. Indiana Appellate Court. No. 17,534. December 25, 1946. (CCH) 263 Poisoning from Chemicals and Oases--Cha-rya to Jury--Safa Plaea to Work. A disability award to claimant who was poisoned- while working with chemical dyes was affirmed, since it was felt that the employer did not provide claimant with the necessary protections, and the exceptions were overruled; it was not error for the court to refuse requests to charge even when they contained correct and applicable statements of the law because their substance was fairly covered in the instructions given. -- Levesoue ?. Clearwater MflrmfflntmH.ng Co. South Carolina Supreme Court. No. 2768. January 9, 1947. (CCH) 269 Chemical Poisoning--Medical Testimony--Dermatitis Regena. Claimant* s dermatitis repens, allegedly the result of contact with water containing 2/lOths of 1% phenol, was noncoapensable, since the medical testimony conclusively showed that such a phenol solution was commonly used as a germicide, and that if a dermatitis resulted from the use of too strong a solution, the result would be a burn, not an infection. -- Masonite Cnmoratian v.. Scruggs. Mississippi Supreme Court. No. 36,343. February 24,- 1947. (CCH) 0311.8662 MH8B-0012339 TM - a March r 1347 270 Comoenaabliitv of-^llinaala Contacted Before Effective Sftte_Qf Occupation*1 Piscaraa Asfr. The claimant unquestionably had silicosis bat was not eligible to re ceive, compensation for the disability, as the amendment to the Workmen's Compensation Act, which provided compensation for silicosis, expressly pro vided compensation only for silicosis contracted after the effective date yo of said amendment, and claimant* s Mlsease was probably active before said date. -- goal v. Qwlrwnnri aMoVeleaw Coal Cprp,, Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals* Ho. 5200. March 5, 1947. (CCH) a^n>lver*B Death free 31 1-tonala--Medical Teatlnnnv.. .Thers was sufficient medical testimony to indicate that decedent's fatal stomach ulcers and other conditions were precipitated by silicosis contracted in the coarse of employment as a bricklayer. -- Glaw v. Rethie^a-flteel fia. Sew York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Judicial Department. So. 259-22. December 50, 1946. (CCH) Book Reviews and Hotices 272 Applications of Genaieidal r Erythemal and Infrared Energy. M. Luckiesh. Van Hoetrand, Sew. fork. 465 pp. Price $5.50. (1946) This volume covers the field of the physiological effects of the por tion of radiant energy including light, infrared and ultraviolet, but the Motion of most interest to industrial hygienists consists of four chapters on germicidal energy and disinfection of air. In the first of these chap ters are discussed the effective range of wavelengths for germicidal action, comparison with skylight and sunlight, description of sunlamps and germici dal lamps, and definition! of the units used in measurement. The other chapters deal with disinfection, first of controlled air, then infected commaal air, and finally air in occupied interiors. They contain full directions for sampling and disinfecting by the various methods, and for mulas and data for all calculations. All the possible disadvantages of irradiation as well as advantages are considered. Other chapters deal with disinfection of water, erythemal and tanning action of light, arti ficial sunlight, radiant energy in common illuminants, and measurements and units. The extensive data are presented in a readable style. oo ft Guide to -the Hat.-t^nal Labor Relatinna Act. Procedures and Practices. L.G. Silverberg. tf.S. Dept, of Labor, Div. of Labor Standards, Bull. Ho. 31. - 53 pp. (1946) This guide explains the act and the functions of the board in simple language, and two of the sain divisions are entitled "how to obtain exclu sive bargaining rights* and "how to remedy unfair labor practices.* A summary of important decisions concludes the body of the pamphlet, but _hwo appendixes give the locations and territories of HLRB regional offi ces, and the text of the law. 03118663 a rid ^5 Industrial Hygiene Digest - _9 *Xft > 1Si-'aS* m rsj 274 The War and Woman' a Raplovmpnt. The Sxomdgnefl of the n^W Kingdom flnq |g United _S.ta.tfla. International Labour Office, Montreal,, 287 pp. (1946) In the first part of the book, wartime employment of women in the United Kingdom is thorou^ily discussed--the great change in their status, their ^ varied work, in industry, civil defense and otherwise, and finally the pro?! pects in the post-war period. In the second part, women1s war work in the United States is similarly treated, and the last chapter deals extensively with the similarities and the differences between the situation in the two countries, ''Much remains to be done to equalize the economic position of women in relation to men in both countries Since, however, progress in this respect has tended to accompany social recognition of the value of women1 s labor in fields other than the home, the war experience has added to the status of women in the economic life of both nations," 275 The Health of the Industrial Worker in India, T. Bedford, Government of India, Department of Health, Simla. 54 pp. (1946) On the author* 8 tour of the industries of India, he found much that is common to industry everywhere, but also hazards that are augmented by Indian climate and conditions. The heat and humidity in themselves reduce working capacity, but there has been little done to alleviate them, for instance most factories have corrugated iron roofs. Exposure to silica dust is severe in the pottery, porcelain, cement, glass, and iron Indus tries, and there is no real attempt to deal with the hazard. Dermatitis is frequent and little'attention is paid to it. Labor turnover is high, and women and children are employed to a greater extent than in Britain. Housing and sanitation are bad. Inspectors and health officials are poorly trained and poorly paid. There are bright apota; some welfare work is conscientiously done. The author relates what has been dene in Great Britain and gives some of the regulations, with the hope that a beginning may be made in India toward the betterment of conditions. He proposea subjects for research problems; (1) factory construction and ventilation; (2) studies of the thermal environment; (5) factory lighting; (4) dust and dust diseases; (5) other industrial diseases; (6) tuberculosis; (7) hours of work; (3) nutrition; (9) vocational selection; and (10) sickness, accidents, and labor turnover. oc c=o Industrial Medical Practice 276 Influenza 7agclnationi Commrl son of Intracutaneoua and Subcutaneous Methods. D,W. Van Gelder, F.S. Greenspan and H.E. Dufreane. U.S. ffav. Med. Bull., il, 197-206 (Jan.-Feb., 1947) (1) Serum antibody titers, using a modification of the Hirst Red Blood Cell Agglutination-Inhibition Test, have been determined on four large groups of individuals who received inactivated influenza virus vaccine either intracutaneously or subcutaneously, or control material. (2) The incidence of reactions, both local and general, was lower in the group receiving the vaccine intracutaneously. (5) The greatest rise in titer against both A ind B influenza virus occurred in the group receiv ing a single dose of 0.1 cc. influenza virus vaccine intracuts&eously. (4) The striking serological response to intracutaneous vaccination war rants further clinical trial. -- Authors* summary and conclusions. ;` 1 03118664 Tnrh^Ht.Tt'AT .ntfMt JLnr^h, 1^7 277 Qa tea JtechanlBB.flf Satardsd fneuaacoala si a;__Delayed Radio-Orah tv n$ Intra-Ptiiwonary msnlanewatvfc of Particles. A. Policard and E. Martin. Bull. Acad. Med., iSQ. 55-37 (1946) It is well-recognized that a pneuaoconlotic lesion may progress after the cessation of the patients exposure to dust. The authors record the case of a coal miner who had worked for 18 years (with an interruption of 5). The progression of disease was followed until his death, 13 years after leaving the mine. Findings of the autopsy are given and a discussion of the case follows. The nodule may have existed previous to its discovery by radiograph} it May have been radio-transparent and may only recently have be cane opaque, by the deposit, for instance, of calcium or iron.- The general lymphatic absorption and blood dissemination of the coal dust Implies a gradual movement which may. In the course of time, alter the radiographic picture. -- From J.I.H.&T, fioan ff-nntaloglc QbsgrrfiManfl la SUigosla. H. Heiaann. Occ. Med., Z* 470-475 t*oV., 1946) A series of hematologic observations made of 65 persons with silicosis is reported. For the entire group of persons with silicosis, with and with out superimposed infection, statistical analyses revealed that the disease was associated with (a) & rise in the number of young polymorphonuclear leukocytes, (b) a rise in mean corpuscular hemoglobin and (e) an increased rate of erythrocyte sedimentation. In simple silicosis, as well as in sili cosis with Infection, there is a shift to the left of the polymorphonuclear leukocytes and an increase in the rate of the erythrocyte sedimentation. These data suggest that neither an abnormally increased sedimentation rate nor a shift to the left of the polymorphonuclear leukocytes in silicosis necessarily indicates that pulmonary infection is present as a complication of the fibrotic condition of the lungs. Fatal Industrial Accidant (Fatal B-ran^hnr^m^ a fallowing HamoptwHln Caufifld bv Electric Shook Affair CUrfeel Onww at Fiilwnnarv Tubergulpaim.) F. Damiani. Lotte contro la tuberc., 99ff. (Mar.-Apr., 1946) (Italian) A man, S3 years old, had had bilateral pulmonary tuberculosis, which had healed after bilateral pneumothorax and prolonged treatment in a sana torium. Recovery lasted for more than ID years, as demonstrated by periodic clinical examinations, roentgenograms and examinations of the sputum. He was in excellent health all these years, during which he worked as he had before his illness* He then suffered an electric shock during work, and immediately afterward complained of pain in the chest. The pain Increased from the second day, accompanied by fever and hemoptysis and fol 0 0 lowed by terminal tuberculous bronchopneumonia* Electric currents can damage the respiratory tract with resulting pulmonary emphysema or pulmon ary edema, then injuries of this type occur in lungs with healed tubercu losis, they may activate the old process. The recurrence is of industrial origin and its victims are entitled to the benefits of industrial laws. -- Occ. Med. Tuberculosis in Industry. B.L. Vosburgh. Bull. Hat. Tuberc. Assoc., 52. 87 (June, 1946) Under a program of routine screening of all prospective-employees, the Schenectady General Electric Plant has noted a reduction in the rate of active tuberculosis from a high of 5 her 1000 to a level of 0.5 which 03118665 'i^o Jo) U--------' Lf--i L--J oo C=fl Industrial Hygiene Digest - .11 JLa has held for about 10 years. Persons with inactive disease were permitted to go to work under conditions of careful observation, including periodic x-ray studies and interval sputum examinations. Proven active cases were rejected. -- From J.I.H.&T. 281' The Inherent Efficiency of the X-ray Methods Uaed .In-the Detection .of Tuberculosis. R.H. Morgan, H.E. Hilleboe and I. Lewis, Pub, Health Repts.,12, 201-211 (Feb. 7, 1947) , - (1) A simple method of studying the inherent diagnostic error of all mass chest radiographic methods is described and experimental results are presented. (2) Fluoroscopy is found to be not wholly satisfactory in this study for detecting minimal tuberculous lesions. (3) By correlating the percentage of x-ray lesions detected with the maximum resolving power of the eye at various distances, it is shown that 35-millimeter, 70-milli meter, 4- by 5-inch celluloid, and 14- by 17-inch sensitised paper are all inherently capable of detecting random samples of minimal, moderately advanced, and far-advanced tuberculous lesions with a high degree of accu racy. -- Authors' sumaary* 282 Flbromvoaltis. Including Industrial Implications and with SnAQ-tal . Reference to Referred PalnT F.W. Slobe. Occ. Med., 2, 329-549 (Oct.,1946) Fibromyoaitis--a localized (occasionally diffuse) area of infiltration within or about a nuscle--is one of the commonest ailments of adnlts. Although many predisposing and associated factors are recognised, the exact causation is not known. Pathologic data are scant. Referred pain and tenderness are frequent manifestations and are likely to cause errors in diagnosis. Characteristics of referred pain from the four most frequent sites of origin are described, namely, the dorso-lumbar region, the lower part of the back, the shoulder girdle and upper dorsal region, and the cervical region. Illustrative reports of cases are presented. General measures of treatment are outlined, special emphasis being made on the diagnostic and therapeutic value of injections of procaine hydrochloride. The industrial implications are important and are discussed from the stand points of prevention, causation a nd the differentiation between fibronyo- sitis and actual or alleged strains. -- Author* s summary. Pacific Mosquitoes Roach This Country In Tires In a routine Public Health Service quarantine inspection, of a cargo ship arriving at Los Angeles from Hew Guinea, a sanitary inspector dis covered that mosquitoes had been breeding in fresh water contained in . about.half of the nearly 9,000 tires which were being returned to the United States from combat areas. The tires contained water varying in amount from one cup to five gallons per tire and it was estimated that the average tire examined containing water contained also from 30 to 30 larvae. Some of the mo squltoea were the kind that carry dengue fever and filariasis in their native Pacific Islands. The ship before docking was thoroughly sprayed with freon-pyrethrua aerosol, and later many, dead adult mosquitoes were found. ---- Government Services Section, J.A.H.A. (Feb. 22, 1947) 03118666 MHBB-00123f& HWBB-0O123/*3 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 12 Xarch. 1947 285 The Connection Between Accidents and Chronic Pancreatttt a. H. Cadotsch. Helvet. med. acta, 2, 254 (1946) The commonest injury of the pancreas is its rupture. Others are the development of pancreatic cysts, acute necrosis of the pancreas, purulent pancreatitis and primary or secondary chronic pancreatitis, which is rare. Acute pancreatic necrosis can develop immediately after an accident (some cases of this sort have been reported). After a certain latent period of weeks or months an acute necrosis may also appear (Schrader collected 14 such cases from the literature)0 The author exactly describes the case of a 26-year old man who after a heavy blow against the abdomen immediately fell ill with violent pains and ileus on the next day. The biopsy (Stowed a fine fissure at the back of the tail of the pancreas, besides fresh necrosis of the adipose tissue of the omentum and mesentery. The fissure was sewn. The course after the operation was serious; first a fistula of the pancreas, then a pleuritic exudate and, eight months later, a chronic pancreatitis developed with hypoglycemia, enteritis and pains. Debility and attacks of pains lasted two and one-quarter years. The man was 50 per cent disabled. In the litera ture there are besides this case only three cases of traumatic chronic pan creatitis, and only a single one of these has been verified by biopsy0 -- Occ. lied. Functions of the Civilian Medical DH Virion of the War Department. Condensed Report. 1942-1946. F.C. Smith, Occ. Med., 2, 285-297 (Oct., 1945) The work of the Civilian Medical Division is explained and reviewed. From the nature of the work of the employees, the ratio of staff to employees and the scope of services rendered were smaller than in the best equipped industrial plants. An important part of the work was referral of patients to their private physicians for non-industrial ailments discovered. In all cases of sudden illness while at work the employees are required to visit the emergency room before leaving, and serious cases are transferred to hospitals. A mental health program was included. Health education was a prominent feature. A number of typical miscellaneous cases are described briefly. Oxygen Treatment for Chlorine Gaa F-mnsiiraa. T.W. Nale, West Virginia Med. J., 42, 173 ff. (July, 1946) Nale reports 25 consecutive cases of exposure to chlorine gas in em ployees working in industry where chlorine is utilized. The patients were coughing violently, and their faces presented a red, congested appearance. An oronazml mask which has a rebreathing bag attached is fastened to'the C 0 patient's face. With the patient placed in bed at rest the oxygen supply is started at 95 per cent oxygen and 5 per cent air. The patient is told to take slow deep breaths. In the average case coughing will be alleviated almost immediately. The percentage of oxygen is gradually reduced until 50 per cent of oxygen is being given and is discontinued if the patient has stopped coughing. Oxygen was administered for 45 minutes in three cases, for 55 minutes in two cases and for 30 minutes in two other cases. The re maining cases required oxygen for 20 minutes or less to clear them up. There have been no complications except for one patient with, severe pro longed exposure and a history of allergy; this patient had a mild attack of asthma. Prior to the utilization of oxygen in high concentrations for the treatment of chlorine gas exposures, many such victims suffered from bron chitis and other complications. These complications have not been observed in any of the 23 cases in which this method of treatment has been used. -- Occ. Med. 03118667 L--J 5 oo C=3 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 13 B-O0123*i 286 Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning; A Renort of One Case with nv ^a rw Ban-Fatal Case with Cllt^aal Laboratory Studio. W.B. Martin and others. Annals. Int. Med., 25> 488-49? (Sept., 1946) Frequent severe renal damage following exposure to carbon tetrachlorid vapor is emphasized. Two cases are reported. The first was marked by mod-= erste jaundice and progress!re impairment of renal function, the patient dying of uremia complicated by pneumonia. The second case developed prog ressive evidence of impaired renal function for about two weeks, but recov ered gradually with conservative therapy. -- From J.I.H.&T. 287 The Systemic Treatment of Arsenic Poisoning with BA1 f2r.^-DimercaptonmparoT). H. Eagle. J. Vener. Disease Inf., 21t 114-121 (May, 1946) Pharmacologic and clinical data have been summarized which indicate that EAL (2, 5-dimercaptopropanol) is of value in the systemic treatment of certain types of arsenic poisoning. In the severe complications, mortality is apparently reduced and the period of hospitalization shortened. In the milder complications, recovery is apparently accelerated. The results to date emphasize the importance of prompt and adequate treatment, and a recom mended dosage schedule is given in the text. -- Author's summary. 288 Picric Acid In Therapy of Caustic Soda Bums an Uvea. C. Bellesini. Med. d. lavoro, J5, 222 (June, 1946) (Italian) Belledni treated barns from splashing of chemical solutions into the eyes, particularly those of sodium hydroxide, by liberal washing of the eyes with Isotonic solution of sodium chloride and local application of a 2 per cent ointment of trinitrophenol. The latter is applied every 12 hours after instillation in the eye of one drop of a 1 per cent solution of cocaine for six or more days. Good results depend on early application of the treatment -- Occ. Med. Editor' a Bote: See treatment outline by Dr. Ralph S. McLaughlin in Transactions of Foundation* s 11th Annual Meeting. 289 Alkali Bums of the Ev. IT. Clinical and Pathological Course. M.F. Hugies, Jr. Arch. Ophth., 2&f 189 ff. (Aug., 1946) The clinical courses of bums produced by a variety of alkalis, such as lye, lime and ammonia are very similar, the alkalinity of the solution is probably the most important factor governing the severity of the lesion. The material for the present study included sodium hydroxide turns of the rabbit eye and clinical observations on several types of alkali burns of the human eye* The course of an alkali turn may logical ly be divided into three stages, acute, reparative, and latS complications. The characteristics of each stage are described in detail; one feature of the first stage is the evidence of deep and rapid penetration of the alkali into the anterior ocular segment, with disappearance of mucoid and necrosis of cells in the corneal stroma; in these respects alkali bums are most unlike acid burns, which are nonprogressive. Edema of several portions is another noticeable feature. In the reparative stage, the edema subsides', the epithelium is regenerated, and the other processes of the first stage are reversed. Various damages may occur or remain for some time in the third stage, including corneal infiltrations, ulceration, opacification, or staphyloma, overgrowth with a vascularized membrane, iritis, secondary glaucoma, cataract, or aymhiepharon. Possible causes and significances of some of these disturbances are discussed briefly. From Occ. Med. 03118668 HWBB-nai23*i5 Industrie! Hvjziene Digest - 14 ii&rch. I3d7 290 -Radiation Effects Apn-infit. MaH frnnnt Tmrtn-rB. S. Tarren. J.A.M.A., 1255, 462-465 (Feb. IS, 1947) The author reviews and evaluates present knowledge and points out fields of research. The important points are: (1) the great variation among tnmors in sensitivity to radiation; they are classified as radiosen sitive, radioreeponsive and radioresistant; (2) it is Impossible to dis tinguish between the effects of different types of radiation; (5) the large amount of radiation necessary to destroy cancerous tissue completely; (4) the effects on the connective tissue, which aids the direct action on can cerous cells; and (5) the similarity of the effecte of atomic bombs and ordinary x-rays and radium, except in degree. Fields for investigation include the use of isotopes, which have given partial promise of success, and others in continuation of the subjects mentioned* ^1 Surgical Rcfrigsr.aUsa sad PrRfiRnatijatTissua. L.v. Crossman and F.tt. Allen. J.A.M.A.. 155. 577-382 (Feb. 8, 1947) Experience to date continues to confirm the safety and benefit of re frigeration anesthesia. Mot only is this anesthesia, by brief chilling advantageous for orthopedic and reconstructive operations, but also suc- cessful healing has been reported in limbs which have been refrigerated for a number of days or weeks. Besides clinching the harmlessness of the low temperature, these observations point the way to new developments in surgery. Recent experiments define some liad.tatlone and also extensions of hypothermic treatment. They suggest uses of reduced temperature pro phylactically in some operations involving &ock, especially for bums. -- Authors' conclusions* 3 ;0^ co Psychosomatic Consultations In Industry. E.A. Irvin. Ind. Surging, 27-35 (Jan., 1947) Psychosomatic medicine, which gives proper consideration to man* s emotional life, is a new term, but the approach is as old as the art of healing itself. All examinations of patients should be made with four points in mind: (1) medical history; (2) physical examination; (3) lab oratory studies; and (4) personality study and evaluation. A number of do's and don'ts are offered, based on the recognition of these four points and their equal importance and assurance of privacy of the infor mation. Four illustrative cases are*described. In conclusion -- "The industrial physician, as well as all physicians, should be awere of physical ills and emotional upsets, and the effect each may have on the other." Tropical Pises sen in Industry. Z.T. Bercowltz. Ind. Med., 45-51 (Feb., 1947) The return of veterans to industry raises the questions whether tropical diseases which they have incurred will make them become lia bilities and whether they may spread to fellow workers. The last ques tion can be answered definitely in the negative, because tropical dis eases, as a group, require insect vectors for their transmission, and because conditions of heat and humidity for development of most para sites are very different from those experienced in industry. Therefore, there is no reason for excluding a person who has had a tropical discsse from a plant. However, the veteran may have chronic or recurring 03118669 HWBB-001234 Industrial Hygiene Digest. - IS March. 19 47a symptoms of some tropical diseases, and a full description of the moat com mon of these diseases, including diagnosis and treatment, is given for the benefit of plant physicians who may have to deal with them. The diseases discussed are amebic and bacillary dysentery, malaria, and helminths. 294 Health Education in Industry. The Nurse1 a Part. Ruth E. Grout. Ind. Nursing, , 17-22 (Jen., 1947) '' Health education in industry includes individual and group instruction. The individual instruction given by the nurse or doctor on home visits, and the help given by supervisors on the job, are both important. For group instruction, it is well to start with a special problem that is of recog fr? nized interest. A health planning group of employees and management can be of great assistance. A file of educational material should be at hand, and a number of sources of such material are listed. Bulletin boards, house organs, and a loud speaker system are aids in spreading information. 295 Amino Acids. S.W. Fox. Scientific Monthly, .M, 105-108 (Feb*, 1947) This paper deals with the amino acids of physiological importance and their relation to peptids, proteins, vitamins, alkaloids, hormones, antibiotics and other substances of biological importance. Of special interest is the value of some of the amino acids as detoxifying agents. Methionine has been successfully used to treat hepatitis of the type caused industrially by TNT or carbon tetrachloride. Work on similar properties of other amino acids is in the experimental stage. o0 {J=3 Industrial Health Hazards and Their Effects 296 Control of Heat in Industry. W. Machle. Occ. Med., , 550-559 (Oct., 1946) Certain needs for investigation emerge from review of present know ledge: (1) Some scale or expression which takes into consideration all thermal factors in hot environments is needed, and this should be corre lated with physiologic effects at higi levels of stress; (2) The effects of low grade fever require investigation as a cause of deterioration; (5) The role of radiation as a factor in thermal stress needs to be clari fied end evaluated; (4) Wherever possible, data on theraa-L stressea in industry should be elaborated, described and correlated *t clinical observations, since it is from such data that the practical probices will be defined and the requirements for investigation determined. -- Author's conclusions. >97 Phvstologjc Effects p< MniOear Energy. S. Warren. Occ, Med., 2, 447-451 (Nov., 1946) The comparatively few known effects of nuclear energy are discussed, with emphasis on the fact that very little is known. The injuries from atomic energy in the Manhattan District have been kept to an almost un believable minimum, and hence the. experience cannot serve as a source of 03118670 Industrial HviHwi* Digest - Iff MflTffh r -|Q^7 physiologic effects, bat other sources are the Bikini experiment, and obser vations of the Japaneee exposed at Hiroshima end Nagasaki, and additional J knowledge will be gained as other experiments progress* The author's ear lier experiments on the effect of radiation on white cell count, and on the partition of radioactive phosphorus in the blood and its excretion, are re- 298 Atonic Energy In Industry and the Phva*oal Sciences* & Allison. Occ. Med., 439-446 (Mov., 1946) The author discusses possible uses of atonic energy in industry, ap plication of isotopes to physiological problems and the difficulties in making rapid progress in experimental work in atomic energy. e Connection Between Roentgen Rav B1 flkK for Worker's and Chanson in Blood Pictures. K. Helde. Acta Radiologica, 21, 308-515 (1946) This is an investigation of various blood changes as related to prob able amount of exposure to Roentgen rays. Hyperaegmentation, granulocyto penia, pathologic lymphocytes, and shift to the left-appear to be well cor related with amount of exposure. Anemia, leukocytopania, granulocytosis, leukocytosis and basophilia are not well correlated with exposure. -- J.I.H.4T. 300 ffironic Intoxication- frow ff-griw^Tide end Its Earlv SvBmtftwifi. P. Barthelemy and R. Moline. Paris med., J5g, 7 ff. (1946) The authors had the opportunity of observing workers in a factory making ferronickel storage batteries, the negative electrode of which was of cadmium' hydroxide. There are several stages of Intoxication. The first stage (the latent period) occurs after about two years of work. There are no signs or symptoms, and no delayed symptoms after cessation of work. The second stage (warning period), occurs after two years of work. The first symptom is a yellow ring on the teeth. This 1b a true pigmentation of the enamel and an impregnation of the tartar also. It begins at the neck of the teeth and covers first the lower third, and, later, half of the teeth. There are no changes of the gingiva. The color is yellow to golden yellow. In heavy -smokers the color is partly concealed by the color caused by tobacco. There are no roentgecologically visible changes up to the most advanced stages of poisoning and, also, for some months after the patient has ceased working. Prom the ring, conclusions can be drawn concerning the duration of work and the time passed after Its termination. In the third stage (painful period) there O 0 is asthenia, then darting paine increased by movement, localised at certain points of the pelvis, in the bodies of the verierbra, in the epiphyses of the extremities or in the os calcis. Development is much slower than that of the ring, the observation of which therefore gives the possibility of prophylaxis. In the fourth stage (roentgenograph!c period, or period of disability), roentgenograms show the Milkman syndrome with decalcification and with transverse fissures in scapula, tibia, femur and pelvis. But there never is a spontaneous fracture. The roentgenograph!c c=o changes proceed in accordance with the pains, increasing more and more. The sick person becomes extremely weak, and his condition deteriorates. The gait is difficult and painful, with little steps, The patient is completely unable to work. Therapy. ---Intravenous injections of calcium gluconate are given in a series of 10 injections until all the symptoms 03118671 u--u ^Gj oo C=3 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 17 .March. rn ` esj disappear. Vitamin D is also given (in the form of Sterogyl). All the pejS sor3 affected were healed.Jn this way by Dr= Lafitte. PronhvTa-H c.__wv, == the ring develops, 12 injections of calcium gluconate should be given ever^S four months. It has been agreed by the management of the factory that =* every worker should work on cadmium for six months only and get calcium giu? conate from the beginning. Hence all the symptoms of poisoning disappeared with the exception of the characteristic and pathognomonic yellow ring. -- Occ. Med. SOI Tetraethyl Lead Pni smHnp. D.AJC. Cassells and E.C. Dodds. Brit. Med. J., , 681-684 (Hov. 9, 1946) Tetraethyl lead is the active ingredient of ethyl fluid, an anti-knock compound. Cassells and Dodds are concerned with the hasard involved in the cleaning of storage tanks which have contained leaded gasoline. After the cessation of hostilities a number of tanks which had been constructed for war purposes were no longer required. The regulations governing the clean ing procedure were overlooked or disobeyed in some instances, with the re sult that 25 cases of poisoning occurred, two of which were fatal. The earliest symptoms were disturbance of sleep and symptoms referable to the alimentary tract, such as lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Subjective nervous symptoms were irritability, restlessness, nervousness and anxiety. Pallor was not a feature, nor did punctate basophilia appear. I? death does not occur, recovery is usually complete. All that is neces sary in the milder cases is removal from exposure, light exercise in the open air, a normal diet with plenty of fluids, and the relief of sleepless ness by a suitable sedatiwe. the treatment of the severe case calls for strict nursing supervision in view of the impulsive suicidal tendencies and the need for adequate fluid intake and sedation. -- J.A.M.A. 532 Recent Developments In Pnemnftcrmtnh1a. L, Carozzi. Praxis, , 485 ff. (July 25, 1946) The author presents a review of recent literature on pneumoconiosis in practically all countries where effective work has been done. Hie new compensation laws of'Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and Great Britain are included. 5)3 Fluorides in Industry. Anon. Mich. Labor St Ind,,, 6 (Hov,, 1946); 6 (Dec., 1946); 11, 7 (Jan,, 1947) Elementary gaseous fluorine exhibits many hazards on account of its high reactivity hut is not widely used in industry. Besides being ex tremely irritant and toxic, it combines explosively with hydrogen. Hext in toxicity is hydrogen fluoride, which Is supplied commercially anhy drous and 60% and 39% in water. In contact with the skin it causes pain ful burns which are slow to heal. The vapor in the presence of moisture is corrosive to glass and most metals. The anhydrous liquid is used in petroleum refining. In plants where there is possible exposure to the liquid or the vapor, showers and bubbler fountains should be abundant. A distinct color should be used for pipes conveying the liquid. Meo- prene clothing should be worn where there is danger of splashing. Any acid in contact with the skin should be washed off immediately, and tools contaminated with the acid can be made safe by immersing them in an alkaline solution. Fluorspar is used extensively in the steel industry, 03118672 HHBB-00123i*9 Industrial Hygiene Digest - lfl larch. 1947 tut it does not cause a major hazard. Fluorides are sometimes used in the ^ coating of wilding rods, and hydrogen fluoride is evolved during welding, ;^ Cryolite sprays are used as insecticides. The hazard from any of these pro^ cesses can be avoided by suitable ventilation. Outbreak of Industrial Flnnrisla In Cattle. H.H. Green, Proc. Hoyal Soc, Med, (London), .22, 795-798 (Oct., 1946) Green says that, during the calcining of ironstone, smoke drifts on to o neighboring farms, and on the nearest of these an obscure disease of cattle was reported. Samples of urine established a diagnosis by revealing 26 to 69 parts per million of fluorine. Samples of water from the affected faro showed only 0,5 part per million of fluorine, but grass samples within a few hundred yards of the burning mounds showed over 2,000 parts per million on the dry matter. The urine of the human family on the farm showed 1.5 to 4.2 parts per million of fluorine, thus averaging less than one-tenth that of the cattle urines but nevertheless being above normal and far above the value in the drinking water. Surface contamination of green vegetables is suggested as the source. -- J.A.M.A. Thresher's Limy: Fungoid Pi aeaae Resembling Tuberculosis or Morbus Sdiaummn, -E. Tomftll. Acta Med. Scandinavica, 125, 191-219 (Aug. 31, 1946)(Scandinavian) Tornell describes eight cases of thresher's lung. This condition is caused by the inhalation of dust from molded ("burned") grain. In the severe cases the onset is sudden, accompanied with shivering, fever, malaise aod -- cough with mucopurulent or sanguinolent expectoration and dyspnea. Eye symp toms and rhinitis may also occur. The clinical signs include a bronchial . icatarrh at the bases with dry subcrepitation, mild leukocytosis and an in creased sedimentation rate. The x-ray picture resembles that of miliary tuberculosis. -In severe cases the densities increase and merge into a dis seminated patchy fibrosis with bronchiectasis. Cultivation of sputum samples on Sabouraud* s medium yields Monilia, a yeastlike fungus; that is, thresher* s lung is a bronchomoniliasis. Treatment with potassium iodide seemed to-exert a noticeable influence on the mild cases of thresher* s lung. [i-ji--n -- J.A.M.A. Pneumoconiosis in Dockers Dealing with Grain and .Seed, L. Dunner, R. Henson and D.J.T. Bagnall. Brit. J. Radiol., .12, 506-511 (Dec., 1946) Dunner and his associates observed 55 dock workers who for years had been handling cargoes of grains, seeds and certain chemical materials such as bauxite, iron ore, sulfur and manganese. These workers are exposed to large amounts of dust* The analyses of cereal dusts have disclosed the presence of appreciable amounts of silica, fine hairs, starch grains and cellular matter. These substances may produce lung disease. Of 55 grain ij----J workers 11 had pneumonoconiosiso -- J.A.M.A. The Visceral Consequences of Anita CarbonMonoxide Poisoning. M. Loeper and others. Arch. d. mal. prof., ji, 1-11 (1944) (french) A study of 17 cases of acute carbon monoxide poisoning showed no evi dence of angina pectoris. In one patient there was a transitory hyper tension, and in others, there was a hypotension. Abnormal pulse rates and occasional extrasystoles were observed. Electro-cardiographic effects 03118673 Incus trial Hygiene IHgeat. - 19 MATCh. lqjy m cm e-H were many and variable; The authors observed that the prognosis depends oi individual predisposition and the presence of circulatory defects. Exten- > sive animal experiments gave evidence of the anoxemic hypothesis of carbon so nonoxida poisoning, though the authors felt that the results did not exclud^ the myoglobin-fixation theory. -Banal involvement occurred in 29 cases. The authors felt certain, on the basis of animal experiments, that the renal impairment in carbon monoxide poisoning is a result of renal asphyxia. _. From J.I.H.&T. 308 Bronchial Stenosis and Atelectasis From Sulfur Dioxide. W.A. Murray* Can. Med. Assoc. J.* J54* 599 ff. (June, 1946) A case of bronchial stenosis and atelectasis following exposure to sulfur dioxide in servicing refrigeration leaks, is fully described. Dilation of the pectoral branch bronchus of the upper left lung, the part most affected, contributed most to recovery. Care in avoiding additional exposure has prevented a recurrence. 303 Carbon Tetrachloride,. Chemical Safety Data Sheet SD-3. Manufacturing Chemists Assoc, of the O.S., 606 Woodward Bldg., Washington 5, D.C, 11 pp. Price 20/. (June, 1946) - First is given a list of properties and a table of vapor pressures. Carbon tetrachloride is potentially toxic by inhalation, prolonged or repeated contact of the liquid with skin or mucous membrane, or by oral intake. The symptoms of poisoning include headache, mental confusion, depression, fatigue, nausea, loss of coordination, and visual disturbances. Poisoning is insidioujs, symptoms often being delayed two to eight days. The*-accepted maximum allowable concentration of the vapor is 190 p.p.a. by volume for eight hours daily exposure. Directions are given for con tainers, unloading and emptying, storage, handling, and waste disposal. The section on handling is quite full, including employee education and training, personal protective equipment, engineering controls, cleaning and repairs, and repackaging and reblending. Finally the health hazards and their prevention and control are discussed. Ventilation and preplace ment and periodic physical examinations are prominent among the methods of prevention and control. In first aid, the most important first step, as in any poisoning, is separating the victim from the noxious substance. Fresh air, warmth, calling a physician, and artificial respiration con stitute the first aid methods. oc C=3 310 Ethylene Queries and Minor Notes, J.A.W.A., A2S, 577 (Feb. 22, 1947) The inquiry concerns the toxic effects of ethylene dichloride used commercially as a finisher in celluloid products, and whether any by products are produced by the action of ethylene dichloride on the acetate. The patient working with those chemicals complains of nausea and weak ness for several hours after contact with the fumes, and his liver is palpable about two inches below the costal margin. The reply is that ethylene dichloride alone is capable of producing the manifestations, and other symptoms of short and prolonged exposure are given. The upper limit* of safety possibly lies between 100 and 200 parts per million. The- inquirer Is -referred to the paper by Heppel and others (see our Abst. No. 964, Aug., 1946) which includes an extensive bibliography. 03118674 MHBB-0012351 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 20 .Masah. 1947 STL c formaldehyde. Chemical Safety Data Sheet SD-1. Manufacturing Chemists Assoc, of the U.S., 608 Woodward Bldg., Washington 5, D.C. 6 pp. (Apr. 1946) (Price IS cents from above Association) This was the first in the series of chemical product safety manuals pre pared and under preparation by the Association Designed for supervisory staffs and management, the manuals concisely present essential information for the safe handling and use of chemical products. This manual gives the important physical and chemical properties of formaldehyde, usual shipping containers and methods for loading and unloading, container storing and handling, labels, personal protective equipment, medical controls and first aid. The hazards arise from skin contact and vapor inhalation. A maximum allowable concentration of ID p.p.m. (American Standards Assoc.) is accepted. The fire hazard is small. m ~<SLn !jui V-^O! Chemical Safety Data Sheet SB-6. Manufacturing Chemists Assoc, -of the U.S. -4 pp, Price 15 cents. ^Hov., 1946) Paraformaldehyde is a mixture of polyoxyaethylene glycols containing -95 to 99^ formaldehyde. Although it..potentially presents the same hazards as formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde is in many ways less hazardous because It dissolves slowly in water and therefore is much less reactive. It depolymerizes under a variety of conditions to give soluble formaldehyde vapor. The powder is inflammable, and the dust .may fora an explosive mixture with air. A fine water spray or carbon tetrachloride.may be used as extinguisher. Directions are given for shipping containers, ventilation during unloading and emptying, storage, and handling. The first aid directions are substan tially the same as for formaldehyde. A physician shopld be called at once in any severe case. Intoxication of a Family of Five Parsons in the Coarse of Fumigation with Methvl Bromide (Three Death*). P. Hazel, J. Bourret and h. Bocfae. Arch. d. male profess., 2t S8 ff. (1946) (French) As a result of the use of methyl bromide in refrigerators and fire extinguishers and now as an insecticide, the number of cases of poisoning of human beings has increased. Two rooms were treated with methyl bromide, after careful sealing. The family slept in two adjacent rooms. One child died early and two Children died the next day, after stupor or convulsions and coma. The father showed slight characteristic symptoms later, and re covered in four days. The mother experienced pains and tremor and later convulsions and periods of unconsciousness. Recovery was slow'and ita com pleteness unknown. Autopsies of the children showed hemorrhagic infiltra tion of the pulmonary alveoli in the infant, a meningeal subarachnoidal hetmsrrhage in the 5-year old child, and only a slight lung congestion in the 6-year old. Other symptoms often resulting, including some permanent sequelae, are mentioned. In one case occasional convulsions were observed n years after exposure. French law of 1945 gives detailed direBtions for avoidance of injuries. Only persons authorized by the government are -allowed to conduct disinfections. The disinfected rooms must hot be used before a chemical test' (detector with amyl acetate) or experiments with animals have proved that they are free from gas. (The case described in-- dicates that equally stringent tests for leakage should also be conducted.) -- From Occ. Med. 0C118S75 HWBB-00123'/& Ia<fostri*a HTElens March, ],g 314 Amite. Fatal Pn<anr^ng bv Methyl Broad P, Ravault, J Bourret and G. Vignon Arch d, rnal profess,, 2, 43 ff (1946) (French) I A worker disinfected a room with methyl bromide in the morning without wearing a mask At 5 PM, he experienced headache and somnolence. After 8 P.M he had repeated convulsions, and became completely unconscious There were no changes of the reflexes and there was no Babinski sign. The next day he had more convulsions with opisthotonus, and his temperature was as high as K)4F He died after 2-1/2 days The report at autopsy was typical pneumonia with dilatation of the vessels in the medulla, -- Qcc. Med. 31S Jhe Blood in Chronic Poising by Tr( } 'rpgfrhy S Tara Archo d. mal profess, 513 ff (1944--1945) (French) On examination, the blood of 27 workers with slight but clear signs and symptoms of trichloroethylene poisoning (asthenia, fatigue, headache, ver tigo, nausea, etc,) showed no characteristic changes, but often a slight leukopenia In the discussion, Derobert confirms these negative observa tions, but reports three fatal cases of trichloroethylene poisoning showing acute pulmonary edema, -- Qcc Med, 316 Research in Industrial Medicine in Great Br-t tain at War. D. Hunter Occ Med, , 301-528 (Oct, 1946) Dr. Hunter reviews the work accomplidied in Great Britain in a number of branches of industrial medicine, including toxicity of arsine, organic compounds of mercury, benzene, and triorthocresyl phosphate, clinical ef fects of vibrating tools, and industrial lung diseases. The treatment of all these subjects is rather full, with coplons references The Cash Value of Health to Taxpayers From 1900 to 1940 the average expectation of life for white males rose from 48 to 63 years chiefly on account of reduction in mortality at early ages, but due to a small extent to decreased mortality in mature years Recent publications of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company show the amounts which invested at 2-1/2$ interest would pro vide an income equivalent to the expected future earnings of indivi duals in specified age and income levels By applying such figures to the proper categories in the age-income distribution of the population of Indiana, it can be shown that the relatively small reduction in 0 0 male mortality during the productive years of life, from 1900 to 1940, resulted in a gain in 1940 of nearly $50,000,000 to dependents of males who would have died under conditions of mortality in 1900. These facts have a broader implication since the State through its taxpayers attempts to care for dependents and the aged Conservation of produc tive individuals represents a two-fold gains first, in reducing cost of dependent care, second, in providing more producers of wealth to foot the bill for those less fortunate Spending relatively small amounts for preventive health work saves much in ultimate welfare costs. In down-to-earth terms small sums for health taken today from the change in the taxpayer?s pocket forestall later inroads on his billfold for remedies------- RE Serfling, in Monthly Bull Indiana State Board of Health, (Dec, 1946) 03118676 MMO8~Q0123,J3 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 22 JLar^, 1347 317 Report of Bureau .of Induatrial Hvrt .State .of Connect* rut,, A.S. Gray, Director. 60th Report of the (Connecticut) State Department of Health, pp. 103-125 (1945) The field work of the Bureau for the fiscal year 1944-1945 involved '~y 767 plant surveys and 1730 plants visited. The hazards examined in the surveys included carbon monoxide (in bus garages and heat treating of tools), lead in a number of operations, cadmium, manganese, fluorides, xylene, methyl --1 ethyl ketone, and other organic solvents, radium in dial assembly, gamma ray - in industrial radiography, silica dust in the quartz crystal industry, and ; foundry dust* A manual of analytical methods and a safe practice manual have h=G been published (see our Abate. 184 and 334, Feb., 1947). .-ICSES Concepts Derived from Xnregti<*Hrfnns Pertaining to Hfrft Altitude Flight. A.R. Behnke. J.A.M.A., 125, 450-4S6 (Feb. IS, 1947) N--J Considerable progress was made during the war in the knowledge of man* s reaction to "ttie forces and conditions involved in aviation. The problems (ol involved are becoming more numerous and more difficult in the postwar era, but the experience gained will be of great assistance. The author discusses some of the concepts and conclusions derived from extended research programs of the National Research Council, the Army and the Navy, including: (1) selection tests and evaluation of performance; (2) body composition (obese persons are more susceptible to decompression sickness); (3) effects of de compression, including expansion of abdominal gas, explosive decompression, pneumothorax, aero-otltis media, and decompression sickness; (4) anoxia and respiration, including effects of carbon monoxide and of low oxygen pres sures; (5) acceleration; (6) protection against injury; and (7) prevention of accidents. The treatment of each of these subjects includes the review of a number of papers* OnL iSarcoidoslsT\ A* Anglin. Canad. Med. Assoc. Ju, jjg., 177-132 (Feb., 1947) ern concept of sarcoidosis, also known as Boeck*s sarcoid, Besnier-Boeck* s disease, Schaumann*s disease and benign lymphogranulomatosis, is that it is a systemic disease in which many tissues, or any tissue, may be involved. It is very difficult to distinguish from some forms of tuber culosis, and this fact has led some authors to believe that sarcoidosis is an atypical form of tuberculosis. One other suggests that it may represent a reaction to the lipoid form of a variety of organisms. The prevailing opinion, however, is that it is a specific disease due to an unknown agent. In its general course it resembles silicosis, but while silicosis predisposes to tuberculosis, there is evidence that patients with sarcoidosis have a high degree of immunity to tuberculosis. This disease usually occurs in young adults. Various chemical treatments, hyperthermia and radiation have been attempted with little success. Prolonged rest in bed has often been favor able. Prognosis is difficult to determine except by observation of the course of the disease, but is often favorable under good conditions. Four case reports are presented. 1< s Dlseasei Bara Condition? E. Robertson. Brit. Med. J810-312 (Nov. 30, 1946) Robertson reports 40 cases of Neil* s disease occurring between the ages of five and 78 years. The condition was encountered four or five times every year during the period of the last 10 years. Nearly 50 per cent of 03118677 'O^ & \ Industrial Hygiene Digest -25 March. 1943. r-: CNi the cases have been diagnosed within the first four days of the illness an<j specific treatment started- The blood urea level has been raised from the o earliest stages in all the cases* Its determination is the most important co single pathologic investigation. A careful inquiry into the patient1s worlSB home surrounding and habits with regard to bathing in fresh water is of th*e utmost importance. Twelve patients have been given specific antileptospiral serum during the first four days of the illness and one other received peni cillin within toe first two days. In this group there has been no mortality. This compares favorably with the remainder of toe patients, none of whom received treatment until after toe fourth day and among whom there were six fatalities--a mortality of 30 per cent. Penicillin when used freely during the early septicemic stage may be of greater usefulness than serum. Fifty per cent glucose intravenously (SO cc. every eigt hours) proved valuable. The mechanism of cortical renal ischemia is of great importance in the etiology of the syndrome1of water and nitrogen retention seen in the more severe cases of Weil*s disease and may explain the apparent success of spinal analgesia in reestablishing renal function by invoicing sympathetic release. The need for early use of this treatment in oliguric cases is emphasized. -- J.A.M.A. 321 necompression Slckneaa--Snme Far-torn Wh-j eh Affect, tha Tncldencfl.of Sends at Altitude. W.L, Burkhardt, H.F. Adler, A.F. Thometz, A.J. Atkinson and A.C. Ivy. J.A.M.A., 155, 373-577 (Feb. 8, 1947) It seems clear from our observations and from those of others that, with the exception of age, altitude and exercise at altitude are toe most important factors which predispose to bends and chokes in aviators. Denitrogenation by breathing undiluted oxygen prior to or during ascent is the most effective method for the prevention of bends and chokes. A high fat diet (250 gm. dally) was found to be the most effective pro cedure for reducing abdominal gas pains in our subjects. A very high protein diet predisposes to bends and a very high carbohydrate diet has the opposite effect. -- Authors1 conclusions. C=3 Skin Diseases and--Burns 322 Occupational Dermatitis;__ Ita Oontrol and Prevention hv Cooperation of the Industrial Physicianr EnMnppr and Chemist. S.H. Peck. Comp. Med., 1, 13 ff. (May, 1946) In this general review of the problem of occupational dermatitis. Peck emphasizes that in order to diagnose, prevent and control industrial dermatitis, it is necessary to have a sound knowledge of (l) the indus trial process, (2) the chemicals which are encountered by the worker which are capable of producing dermatitis and (?) the mechanism by which the chemicals produce dermatitis. While it is the responsibility of toe in dustrial physician to diagnose and treat industrial dermatitis, a proper ' program for control and prevention of the outbreaks of dermatitis needs the cooperation of the chemist and the industrial"engineer. It is impor tant, therefore, that certain broad principles regarding the mechenisne which produce dermatitis are understood by the non-medical personnel of 03118678 Industrial HvtHwne Digest - 24 March, 1Q47 an industrial plant who are charged with the responsibility for safety mea sures in the plant. The distinction between primary irritants and sensiti zers i6 clearly drawn with definitions and illustrations. The sensitizers have received the greatest publicity as causes of industrial dermatitis in spit4 of the fact that they cause less than 20$ of the cases. Among the factors which form the basis for the diagnosis of industrial dermatitis the author discusses the history, the clinical syndrome, the site of the erup tion, the clinical appearance, and the patch test. Regarding dermatitis*due to plastics, it is pointed out that completely polymerized resins rarely if ever cause dermatitis, but the monomers, the low polymers, plasticizers, stabilizers end modifiers can be primary irritants or sensitizers. The literature on dermatitis due to synthetic resins is reviewed. In making practical suggestions for control of dermatitis, the author discusses such factors as housekeeping in the plant, individual protection, protective clothing and protective ointments. It has been his experience that a thorough discussion with the workers, explaining to them the purposes of the materials which they have been given for protection, is a greet help in obtaining their cooperation. At least the shop foreman ahould be thoroughly instructed in the purpose of the preventive materials, and in turn he is to instruct his men in their proper use. -- From Occ. Med. i rJ cc frl^l ; i11I i m C=3 324 Occupational Dermatoses in Aircraft Workers. Chromate Dermatitis. F.A. Ellis. Occ. Med., Zt 452-462 (Nov., 1946) Of 235 patients referred during 1944 and 1945 from a large aircraft manufacturing plant because of a possible occupational dermatitis, 133 (56.6 per cent) proved to have non-occupational dermatitis. Eighty-one (54.4 per cent) were considered to have occupational dermatitis. Twenty-one (9 per cent) had contact dermatitis of undetermined origin. Primary irritants were the cause of the eruption in 56 (44.4 per cent) of the 81 patients with occupational dermatitis. Contact dermatitis was the cause in 24 (30 per cent)* in 20 (83.4 per cent) of these the derma titis was due to chromates. In about one fourth (23.7 per cent) of the cases of occupational dermatitis the disease was due to chromates (ap proximately one case in a thousand per year). Injuries associated with dermatitis were present in 14 (17.5 per cent); dermatitis due to treat ment accounted for the seven (8.3 per cent) others. Contact dermatitis due to chromates has a. fairly typical picture and distribution. It is usually an acute, weeping, crusted dermatitis involving the exposed parts, and with occasional generalized dermatitis. Nummular lesions similar in form to nummular eczema developed in some of the patients. The eyelids were involved in eight (40 per cent) of the patients who had a contact dermatitis due to chromates. No positive reactions to resins were obtained in these patients. Hardening to chromates does not develop in workers sensitive to chromates. Patch tests with five per cent solution of sodium chromate and with the dry painted metal elicited reactions of similar degrees of positivity. Five per cent solu tion- of potassium bichromate caused reactions similar to those caused by five per cent solution of sodium chromate. ---- Author1 e summary and con clusions. Ragweed Dermatitis. B.J. Slater, J.L. Norris and N. Francis. Occ. Med., Z* 298-300 (Oct., 1946) . Ragweed occasionally causes dermatitis, similar to that caused by poison ivy, oak or sumac. Two cases are descrived, with illustrations. 03118679 MM8B-001235* Industrial Hygiene Digest - 25 Marchf 1Q4 They are of interest because they show the importance of recognising ragweed dermatitis when it occurs in an industrial employee. The best advice tc any afflicted person is to go to a place where ragweed does not grow, or next best, to use oral desensitisation by the ragweed oleoresin in com oil. jOui oo t=0 Control Methods 325 Proceedings of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Smoke Prevention Aaanoi at.-lrm of America. Conference on &noke Prevention and Conservation of Fuels, Minneapolis, June 24-26, 1946. 78 pp. (1947) At this conference a number of papers covered a wide range of subjects connected with smoke prevention. Importance of Smoke Abatement in City Planning. H. Cleon, pp. 2-5. In Minneapolis, as in other cities not only the better classes of residents, but also industries, are moving away from central sections of the city on account of smoke pollution. Food processing industries and others require clean air for their work. Thus smoke abatement is a vital factor in city planning. and Its `Relation to Smoke. S.B. Ely. pp. 7-10. The smoke abatement problem sharply divides itself into two parts, the smoke problem and the dust problem. Several years ago Pittsburgh undertook a very elaborate dust collection, extending over three years. The deposited mater ial from 100 locations was weighed end analyzed for volatile material, fixed carbon, ash, iron, silica and sulfur. The other customary dust collection methods were also used. The large volume of impressive data has yielded nothing definite regarding the efficiency of combustion in the city. This conclusion has been verified by a more recent test with an electric preci pitator and a recording tape, during and after a steel strike, when the mills were not operating. With the mills off, the record showed 1.77 ar bitrary units of dust per hour. With the mills at 6056 capacity, the figure was 1.61, and at full operation, 1.68 units. The difficulty with this test was that most smoke or dust is recorded mornings and nights, when atmos pheric inversion-produces moisture which carries the dust with it. ,In the dust collection tests, the deposited material includes organic and inor ganic dusts that have blown from some distance, and the volatile matter and fixed carbon includes constituents of the organic dust. On Sundays and holidays under a heavy atmospheric lid there was a heavy deposit, while on clear working days the deposit was light. Therefore a dust fall really measures weather conditions and is not a true measure of ccataiatlon. Direct visibility tests, such as are constantly made by the U.S. Weather Bureau, likewise do not measure smoke pollution, because there is to in strument that will differentiate smoke from dust, fog, and haze. ' The Weather Bureau observations, then, should be called "visibility record" or "air pollution," rather than "smoke observations." Also, the points of observation are too few to give a representative picture of conditions over the city. A Comparison af~8mawwft Variations in Du atfall and Other Factors Related to Air Pollution. Chicago Assod. of Commerce, pp. 11-15. This report of a similar survey in Chicago was presented in connection with Dr. Ely1s paper, and confirms its general conclusions. Curves for 031186S0 TnritiBt.-Hftl TVt pant - Pfi ifsTrh f 13A7 "haze, smoke, dust," dustfaU coal consumption, wind velocity, precipitation and temperature shows only alight correlation between haze, smoke, dust, and coal consumption, and the dustfall curve tends to follow that for wind velocity,. A complete program against air pollution should include private dust and dirt abatement efforts comparable with those directed to smoke abatement. There is also the question whether additional methods of analy sis will aid in identifying the sources of air pollution, and evaluating their relative importance. Y--] A-Proposed Standard for..Bagulatlng Permissible Discharge _o Solids from Stacks. J.H. Carter, pp. 15-16. The author shows that the usual method of specifying the total solids per cubic foot of gas, with or without size restrictions, does not give a fair picture of nuisance value, and proposes a method depending on settling rate. A suggested ordinance reads: "The amount of dust having a settling velocity of.....feet per minute or greater which may be emitted from any stack shall not exceed....pounds (or other unit) in any one hour for each foot of stack ioi hei^it above grade squared," This method has the following advantages: (1} it regulates the qmount of dust In terms of its nuisance value; (2) it considers the stack height as a factor; (5) it takes settling rate into account; (4) it applies to all types of dust; (5) it creates no new problem for the, manufacturer of equipment; (6) plants emitting dust for limited periods can be regulated; and (7) it simplifies the establishment of viola tions. The elutriator provides a simple method of measurement. Effect of. Smoke Abatement Surveys Conducted In Various Cities. H.B. Loaners, pp. 49-55. A survey of heating plants was made in seven cities to determine faults which would lead to excessive atmospheric pollution. A general classifica tion puts the following industries in the order of greatest smoke: (1) laundries and dry cleaning plants; (2) hotels, apartment buildings, and hospitals; (-5) schools and churches; (4) miscellaneous manufacturing plants, and (5) large manufacturing plants. At Cincinnati a sootfall collection (total solids without analysis) over a period of years shows 17.7$ more soot from October through April than during the remainder of the year. For Rochester the figure was 25.5$, Sew York 25.0$, and Chicago 17$. It is estimated that in Cincinnati 15$ of the total .smoke is due to homes and small apartments. (There is insufficient data to make a critical compari son of this paper with those of Ely and the Chicago organization.) There are other papers of interest to combustion engineers, including the subjects of standardization of combustion equipment, education in use -of equipment, automatic controls, overfire air jets, and several relating especially to railroad operation. _^2jS !!sa i- ir--J ^J Essential Safeguards In Production and Pse of Atomic Energy. J.E. Wirth. Occ. Ked., gy 428-456 (Nov., 1946) Essential safeguards in the production and use of atomic energy must be directed toward the working area and the surrounding community. They must encompass (1) personnel, by education and organization; (2) monitor ing, by the personnel and by a separate health-physics unit stressing per sonnel monitoring, area surveys, research and developments; (3) equipment, such as personnel-monitoring and area survey instruments, barriers, ventilation, protective clothing, technics and handling devices, and (4) well trained laboratory personnel and special tests for analyzing human excreta for chemically and radioactively toxic elements. -- Author's summary. 031186S1 6E)1 u l LJ f--f) c=aL---- J Industrial Hygiene Digest - 2Z March. 1<U 527 Asbestos. Dust. Anon. Safety Rev. (TJ.S. Navy), 1$ (Jan., 1947) The brief article calls attention to the hazard of exposure to asbes tos dust and the need of adequate localized ventilation. All working places with possible exposure should be checked for asbestos dust, and whe^ mechanical exhaust ventilation must be supplemented by wearing of personal protective equipment, it should conform to Bureau of Mines specifications. 528 Air-Operated System Dumps Cvardde wi th Safety. Anon. Compressed Air Mag., .22, 49 (Feb., 1947) At the Kerr-Addison Mill in Virginiqtown, Ontario, cans of cyanide to be used in the extraction of gold from ores, are handled mechanically by a system that is completely inclosed and controlled from the outside. Except for loading and unloading, the operation is automatic. After a can has been placed on the skip and the chamber has been closed, it is hoisted by an air cylinder. At.the limit of its travel it is tripped and its contents are dumped into the hopper of a reagent feeder that discharges into condi tioner tanks. Reversal of the piston stroke returns the skip to the starting position; but before the empty is replaced by a full container, the fumes and dust in the enclosure are exhausted to the atmosphere. Thus hand dumping with its attendant skin rashes are avoided. Diagrams are presented. 529 Dust Control Lessons from Fontana Dam. F.N. Chirico. Occ. Hazards, 24-25 (Feb., 1947) Certain features of the dust control system introduced during the construction of Fontana Dam in North Carolina were not only unique but because of their extreme effectiveness in curtailing hazards have become a pattern for the industry. The most radical of those features was a mechanical water spray mounted on the frames of the electric shovels, continuously and thoroughly wetting the rock. This process reduced dust concentrations to averages of 1.4 to 2.7 M.P.C.F., and was much more efficient than intermittent hand wetting. It was also unnecessary to-wet the rock during crushing--a point at which hand wetting has been found undesirable. Elimination of dust fog also increased night visi bility. Other dust-reducing features included wet drilling, efficiently designed ventilation systems, total enclosure of indoor screens, with self-closing doors, top and skirt-board coverings at transfer and dis charge points, dust-tight manholes, counterweighted hinged covers on chutes, discharge of the dust collector effluent through high stacks, and the installation of water sprays with conveniently located shut-off valves. Specially designed ejector ventilation systems were installed in the cement unloading plant, supplying clean air to the workers and removing the cement dust which was subsequently collected* An average of less than ID M.P.C.F. was attained at that point, less than five in the concrete mixing plant, and less than four in the quarry and rock crushing plant. 330 Heoort-jai an Investigation into Dust and Ventilation Conditions in the Conner Mines and the Broken Hill tfino in Northern Rhodesia with Parti cular Reference to Silicosis* J. De V. Laabrechts. 42 pp. Lusaka: Govt. Printer. (1945) The emphasis in this report is upon dust. It is recommended that dust sampling results form a basis for ventilation requirements. Depths 03118682 {JB-0H123S8 HWBB-0012359 Hygiene D1gest - 29 .Mnreh. 1947 vill.ptrohably not be great enough for many years to necessitate attention to the heat problem or that of the use of water underground. Under existing conditions it was decided to regard all dust occurring in these mines as potentially dangerous. Average dust concentrations for the mines as deter mined by the use of the Kotzs konimeter were higher than the accepted stan dards. It was concluded that the measures taken against silicosis were in ,-o adequate. A maximum count of 600 particles per cc. is recommended as a -1 goal. Improvements In the technique of rock drilling and primary blasting are suggested. Other dangerous operations are reviewed. -- Bull. Hyg. &1 Safe Use and Storage of Volatile Paints and Thinnars. TT.T. Utley. Safety Eng., .25, 18-19, 43-45 (Feb., 194?) The automobile refinisher does not always realize that the thinners & and solvents that he uses are as flammable as gasoline, and often tqkes chances that he would not take with gasoline. Another hazard is that re u--V finishers are often unwilling to wear respirators. Operators can be con /nt vinced of the necessity, however, by wearing one for a few jobs and then observing-.the amount of material that has been absorbed on the pad. Six essential safe practices are given in summary: (1} have adequate ventila tion and always use respirator when spraying: (2) adopt good housekeeping practices in storing paints and thinners; (3) keep oily rags in metal con tainers and immediately dispose of all empty paint cans and other contain ers; {4) never use blow-torches or any type of open flame near spray booths, or where spray gun is being used; no smoking; (5) recognize and eliminate danger from thinner vapor; and (6) keep,all equipment clean and in its proper place. The Presartr Status of the Control of ATr-Borne Infections. Report of the Subcommittee for the Evaluation of Methods to Control Air-Borne Infections, of the Committee on Research and Standards. J.E. Perkins, Chairman. Am. J. Pub. Health, 5Z, 15-22 (Jan., 1947) The subcommittee offers the following five points to summarize its group judgment concerning the present status of the application of engin eering methods to control aiivborae Infection: (1) The oiling of floors, blankets, and bedding has now developed to the point of practical applica tion in the suppression of dust. Such measures reduce bacterial contam ination of the air, but there is as yet insufficient evidence that they prevent disease. (2) The available evidence strongly indicates that methods of air disinfection (ventilation, ultra-violet irradiation, and glycol vapors) are useful adjuvants to aseptic techniques in the reduc tion or elimination of air-borne infections in operating rooms and in con tagious disease and pediatric wards. Installations are indicated under conditions where there has been demonstrated or there exists potentially a significant incidence of cross--infection or a serious risk to patients. It is essential that competent engineering supervision be available to insure the adequacy of the original installation, to maintain its con tinued effectiveness, and to protect both personnel and patients. (3) It is not yet possible to compare the relative efficiency of ultra-violet t=a irradiation and glycol vapors. Only the former method has been developed to a point of practical application. Recent designs of glycol vaporizers and automatic control devices give promise that adequately controlled studies may be conducted In the near future. (4) The general use of ultra-violet irradiation or disinfectant vapors in schools, barracks, and 03118683 NH8B-B0123 Industrial Hygiene Dlyeat - 29 March. I947" in specialized industrial environments i3 not justified at the present time (5) There is no justification for the Indiscriminate use of ultra-violet light or other methods for disinfecting air in homes, offices, or places of public congregation. -- From Authors' conclusions. 533 Prevention of Health Hazards in .Repair Garages. A Summary of Health Found in a_Survev of the Garage-Industry in t.he .tatn_of Washington and Methods for Their Correction. State of Washington, Dept, of Labor and In dustries and Dept, of Health. 52 pp, (1947) The first subject treated is the carbon monoxide hazard. Its principal source is the exhaust gas of cars with motors running, but it can also come (Si: from heaters. A comparison of natural, general mechanical, and exhaust ven tilation is given. Exhaust ventilation is required by State law, and is best accomplished by inlets close to the car exhausts. Natural ventilation is only partly effective and only in summer. General mechanical ventilation U--d is too expensive except in connection with heating. The ventilation should reduce carbon monoxide concentrations below 100 p.p.m. The nexrb hazard is spray painting. Washington regulations require isolation of the operations, adequate ventilation, adequate personal protection, and fire prevaition. A complete change of air per two minutes throughout the working space is called for. Several diagrams illustrate right and wrong ways of installing ventilating systems. In the wrong ways there may he considerable unventila ted space. Respirators are sometimes desirable even with good ventilation, and operators should be instructed in methods of spraying that will cause least exposure. Fire protection involves avoidance of combustible mater ials on floors and walls, use of safe electrical connections, and grounding of tools. The remainder of the booklet consists of briefer sections on degreasing, dermatitis, sanitation, illumination, welding and forging, dust, and acetylene generators. A companion-piece to this bulletin, entitled "Garage Gripes," has been prepared for distribution among garage employees, for their education. u----J c=a "Packaged" plants for export complete in every detail and requiring only assembly at destination to start production are planned by a group of engineers who see the need for many types of manufacture in foreign countries to build demand for American products. Temperatures can be read approximately by the color assumed by a new alloy which takes on a different color for each 25 degrees between 500 and 900C. Improved molding qualities are imparted to gypsum plasters by the addition of newly developed modifying chemicals without taking the prod uct out of the low price class. War-developed laminated paper bags are so strong and water proof that flour packed in them has been floated harmlessly over Niagara Falls. - Chemical Digest (Spring* 1947) \ 03118684 HWfiB-0012361 Industrial HvHwne rn - ?n -March, 354 Humidifiers an Aid in Eliminating- feraloainns. R.J. Branham. Safety Eng., 22, 52 (Feb,, 1947) The U.S. Rubber Company made exhaustive tests to determine the cause of several recent fires and explosions and how to eliminate them, before building a new cement house. It was learned that when the relative humidity was 25-33$ an electrostatic voltmeter measured a static accumulation above the 6,000 volt capacity of the instrument. The condition was dangerous even with all the < precautions that could be taken. However, at 4C# r.h., there was almost no chance for explosion. Therefore, where there is no moving machinery the r.h. is kept at 45$, and 50-55^ where there is moving machinery. At these humi L--J dities the voltmeters register near negative. The danger point appears quickly when the r.h, drops below 40$. There should be wide uscb for humi difiers in other rubber plants and similar industries. ftir-Activated storage Bins for Pulverized Materials. VU----,r Anon. Compressed Air Hag., jj, 46 (Feb., 1947) Powdered or sluggish bulk material held in storage bins for processing is erratic in its action. Sometimes it has a tendency to cake and to rat- & hole, and then again it will avalanche when released. Poke rods and electric vibrators have been used to start the flow, and it has even been the practice to pound the walls of such structures, causing weakening and leakage. These disadvantages are overcome, we are told, by Richardson Scale Company's airactivated bin equipped with a leak-proof -control gate that permits the dis charge of accurately proportioned quantities. To insure free flow at all times regardless of the height of a bin, the new design calls for perforated pipes inside the structure. If material jams when gate is opened, the op erator shuts it again and manipulates a valve, admitting low-pressure air to aerate the mass and loosen it. The pneumatic system includes a pressure regulating device and an Aridifier for the removal of moisture from the air. Gates are of special design and, when closed, are sealed tight by means of hog-bristle brushes which also serve to eliminate much of the dust that Is usually in evidence where powdered materials ere delivered to mixers. -4C, Methods of Detection and Determination I__________________________________________ ^-Spect^oohotn^net^ic Estimation of Haxuronates (Expressed as Glucuronl< in Plasma or Serum. W.B. Deichmann and Marjorie Dierker. bl, Chem., 163 . 755-760 (June, 1946) '--" (1) A photoelectric procedure is presented for the estimation of hex- uronates expressed as glucuronic acid in plasma or serum without preliminary removal of ordinarily interfering compounds (proteins, glucose, etc.) The principle employed is similar to that utilized for the estimation of glucu ronic acid in urine, which was reported earlier. (2) The greater portion of the hexuronates normally found in blood is present in the plasma or serum. Values found for untreated experimental subjects, rabbits, and rats, in terms of glucuronic acid, ranged from 0.4 to 2o5 mg. per 100 ml. of plasma. (5) Analysis of plasma or serum is recommended for the study of the rate of ab sorption or the metabolism of a compound that conjugates in the body with a / / g-(s v c \F0 =] (65) Lr--1 @ & C=3 Industrial Hygiene Piye at - 31 March. 1947 hexuronic acid. The administration of cyclohexanone or 2-methyl-2,4-penta- nediol to rabbits or rats induced no change in glucuronic acid values in the cellular fraction of blood, while increases of hexuronates in plasma were significant (up to 120 mg. of glucuronic acid per IDO ml.) and in direct relation to the quantities of hexuronates excreted in the urine. -- Authors' summary. . I------------------------------------------------------- j Laboratory Toxicological Studies |___________ ___ 537 Thvmol-Barbital Turbidity .Teat, in Experimental Carbon Tetrachloride Poison ing. H. Brieger and M.H.F. Friedman. Occ. Med., 2 465-469 (Nov., 1946) In a series of 15 rabbits given high oral doses of carbon tetrachloride, positive thymol-barhital turbidity reactions were found in the serums of 14 animals (93.5 per cent) Plasaa-.and serum gave equally reliable results. Neither aging of the serum or plaaaa nor the presence of heparin influenced the reaction. The positive reaction was, in general, not due to carbon tetrachloride lipemia, nor was it influenced by the reduced food intake of animals receiving the hepatotoxic agent. -- Authors* summary. 338 Skin-Sensitizing Properties o DDT_for the Guinea P-tg. J.E. Dunn, R.C. Dunn, and Barbara S. Smith. Pub. Health Repts., 1, 1614-1633 (Nov. 8, 1946) Also published as Reprint No. 2754. Price 5 cents from Supt. of Documents. An attempt to induce cutaneous hypersensitivity to DDT in guinea pig3, using several methods, was unsuccessful. A possible explanation is pre sented for the previously reported induction of cutaneous hypersensitivity to DDT in the guinea pig* Histopathologic changes in the skin following injection of DDT in corn oil and of corn oil alone are described. -- Authors' summary. 339 The Action of Thioglvrollc Acid and Thtoelvcolates nr Animal a After Subcu taneous Introduction. C.P. McCord, B.E. Stofer and Pearl Williams. Ind. Med., 63-65 (Feb., 1947) Thioglycolic acid, diluted to pH 4, and buffered to pH 7, and sodium thioglycolate were subcutaneously and otherwise injected in vary ing amounts into rabbits and rats. The .effects of injection of the acid were usually severe, always local ulcers, liver damage, and blood sugar changes were found, and death resulted from single injections of 1 cc* of 5% acid per kilo. The effect, however, is comparable to that of other acids at similar concentrations. The thioglycolate, when 2 to 4 cc. per kilo based on 4.75% thioglycolic acid was used, killed irre gularly 50% of rats tested. Rabbits are less susceptible. Observations on the Effecta-of T~Hmethvlf Fha^phat^ Upon Experimental Animals. If.B. Deichmann and S. WitherupN-I^Eherm. and Exp. Therap., S&, 333-342 (Dec., 1946) (1) When absorbed from the gastroenteric tract of rabbits, rats or guinea pigs in sufficient quantity over periods of a few hours or 03118686 HHBB-Q012362 HWUB-0012363 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 32 March r KU7 days, trimethyl phosphate induced an acute toxic state characterised by a '=T\ gradual decrease in the rate and magnitude of respiratory movements, general body weakness, a mild degree of hyperexcitability, fine tremors, dyspnea, collapse and death as a result of respiratory failure. When sublethal oral, cutaneous or subcutaneous doses were administered day by day for several days to rabbits a corresponding type of intoxication developed more slowly /O' and was accompanied in 3ome instances by loss of weight and flaccid paraly ses of the extremities, the latter being followed at times by spasticity of certain muscles of the extremities. (2) The lethal oral dosage of tri methyl phosphate for the rabbit is 1.05 ml./kg., for the rat, 1.65 ml./kg., and for the guinea pig, 0.94 ml./kg. (3) Some portion of the administered trimethyl phosphate or some product of its metabolism appears to be excreted in the urine of rabbits in conjugation with sulfuric acid. -- Authors' summary. Metabollam of Radium Fixed on Bony Tissue. H. Fajerman, P. Daudel and R. Muxart. Compt. rend., 222. 1255-1257 (1946) (French) A procedure is given for the study of the retention of radioactivity in bones of white rats given subcutaneous injections of radium chloride. When radioactivated bones are decalcified in vitro with the aid of various acids, a notable portion of the radioactivity is removed with the calcium salts without destroying the bone structure; this suggests the possibility of treating radium poisoning in vivo. -- C.A. 542 The Comparative Effitrlapcv of Var-Mua Livar Function, Teats in Detecting Hepatic Damage Produced in Dap* by Xvlldane. J.L. Svirbely, A.R. Monaco and W.C. Alford. -J. Lab. and Clin. Med., .21, 1135-1143 (Oct., 1946) Xylidene at a moderately low concentration is an effective agent in producing jaundice and fatty livers in dogs. With prolonged exposure, the livers pass into a cirrhotic stage. Microscopic examination of the liver showed evidence of parenchymal damage Tilth no evident impairment in the cells of the reticuio-endothelial system, since these retain their function of phagocytosis of iron-positive pigment. The bromsulfalein retention tftst is the most reliable one in detecting liver damage. Next in order of re liability were the rose bengal retention test, the serum phosphatase acti vity, prothrombin time ratio, bilirubin retention and urinary urobilinogen excretion tests, and icterus index. Bergh, fibrinogen and albumin-globulin ratio estimations., do not appear to yield information early enough to aid in the diagnosis of liver injury. This order of efficiency agrees very well with the results obtained by Neefe and associates in their work on liver damage produced in human subjects by administration of yellow fever o o vaccine and with the findings of Drill and Ivy in carbon tetrachloride poisoned dogs (see our Abs't* Ho* 1X15, Oct*, 1944) -- From Authors summary* I Industrial Relations, Personnel c=o 343 topping Grievances Before IhflY QzqB. Editorial, od. Ind. pp. 49-52, 54, 56, 58, 62-64 (Feb. 15, 1947) "In the most successful plants, management attitude toward a griev- nce is that of a doctor's toward a disease: detect it early, cure it 03118687 'c^o' ~] v^] m & M oo Industrial Hygiene Digest - 5 5 Marsh. 1347. fast." Also, like the doctor, management should objectively determine the facts. If the grievance is real, many potential similar grievances will be avoided; if it is fanciful, it is even more necessary, and harder, to find the cause of dissatisfaction. The method used by Thompson Products, Inc., is fully described. By posters end o^her means, employees are urged to rir their grievances, and questionnaires were sent to employees asking their opinion about the company and their supervisors. In general, there ere four levels at which grievances are considered, and very rarely it is necessary for top management to consider them. Supervisors are located in the plants where they can be in touch with a number of employees. Features of griev ance plans of other companies are also described. 344 State Plans for Disability Comnenaat-t on. C.W. Strow. Am. Econ. Sec., 4, 12-16 (Aug.-Sept., 1946) The California system adopted in December, 1946 establishes a scale of compulsory benefits for disability based upon the formula for unemploy ment compensation under which weekly benefits run from $10 to $20 up to a maximum of 23.4 weeks in the benefit year. Payments are to begin May 21, 1947. A state fund called the Unemployment Insurance Disability Fund does not monopolize since voluntary plans either through self-insurance, benefit associations, or commercial insurance are allowed to compete. Financing is to be secured from a one per cent tar upon the pay rolls of employees to be withheld from their wages for the benefit of either the state fund or a voluntary plan. All voluntary insurance plans must have consent of employer and employees and approval by the State Board. The chief problems are how voluntary plans can meet the compulsory benefit provisions, whether one per cent tax will cover cost of benefits, how exchange of credits between vol untary plans or between voluntary plan dad state fund due to mobility of workers can be effected. The values of this California Plan lie in the freedom of choice given to employer and employee to choose their type of disability insurance and the opportunity to fit the terms of such insur ance to the local and internal conditions of each individual firm and fac tory. It also affords a chance for labor and management to cooperate com pletely in solving the problems of disability especially in benefits and claims. However, there are many problems, both technical and general, in working voluntary plans into the California system and time alone will reveal how it can be done. 545 Solving the Problem of the Toxicity of. Hew Chemicals in Industry. H.F. Smyth, Jr. W. Ta. Med. J., 42* 177 ff. (July, 1946) A manufacturer of chemicals established at its own expense an indus trial fellowship under the author* s direction at Mellon Institute. The organization now has a staff of 18 technically trained persons and faci lities to house about 5,500 animals. By means of close contact with the research, production, sales, and medical departments the fellowship is made aware of all new chemicals being developed by the manufacturer. First a range-finding test is made in a short time at relatively low cost, end the results can be-made known to the producer before the stage of pilot plant operation is reached. In this range-finding test, phar macologic experiments are performed on small animals, including tests of the effects of swallowing, skin penetration and contact, eye contact, and inhalation, by standardized methods. The quantitative results allow the investigators to select from their files another chemical, ?i 03118688 HWBB-0012364 Industrie.! Hygiene Digest - 54 March. 19.17 whose hazards bear a known relation to the new one under study. This infor mation, although not quantitatively precise, is a guide to plant physicians in observing the first men to handle the new chemicsl in quantity. 'Phen it uecooiee apparent that the new material will be made and sold in larger quan tities, it is appropriate to perform more detailed studies which will reveal more precisely the quantitative hazards which must be guarded against in ap VT/C-' plication of the chemical. -- From Occ. Med. ^46 Relationship of Recreational Participation to Industrial r--1 C.E. Creed. Research Quart., ,1, 19? ff, (Oct., 1946) Selections of 72 male workers at Servel, Inc. were made on the basis of being one of the poorest five or one of the best five in groups of 150 or more. A questionnaire was sent each to measure the time that he was engaged in any type of leisure activity, 71 activities being listed. The factors having the highest correlation with the superintendent's rating as "good" U-----u were: (1) total hours of recreation; (2) number of activities; (5) number of passive activities (such as chess, card games, magazines and movies); (4) hours of passive recreational participation; (5) hours of active rec reational participation; and (6) number of active recreational activities (e.g. archery, badminton, baseball, hiking and gardening). It is concluded that there is a high degree of relationship between rating and recreational participation; not that the type of recreation made them better or poorer workers, but that there are specific activities in which the better or poorer workers respectively participate. Recreation provided by industry can be more efficiently administered, is more available and is cheaper than when it is paid for end selected by individuals. The results of this survey do not mean that only the activities preferred by the best workers should be provided. -- From Occ. Med. Eve Conservation and Tncreased Production. C.P. Tolmsn. Trans. Am. Acad. Ophth., jjQ., 225 ff. (July-Aug., 1946) The author emphasizes the value of conservation of the eyes as an element of good management. Two out of five average industrial workers have visual deficiencies which keep them from doing their best work. The vision of at least 90? of these workers can be brought up to a satisfactory level by corrective glasses. Suitable adequate lifting and scientifically dhosen color schemes will also aid greatly. One employer reports that after supplying one-fifth of his employees with needed glasses and instal ling an improved lighting system, output was increased by 19? and quality was improved by 16/6. Another, by increasing illumination from eight to 60-foot candles, on work involving punching of tabulating cards, increased 0 O production 58? and reduced errors 69?. -- From Occ. Med. A Study of Rsvcbiatrl.fi Illneasin Coal Miners. F. Post. J. Mental Sci., j2, 574 ff. (July, 1946) A study was made of 100 men employed in underground work in the mining industry who were treated at the Jordanbum (England) Nerve Hospital for various psychoneuroses and other psychiatric ailments. Occupational fac tors were absent or unimportant as causes in more than half the cases. Very few men broke down on account of the unpleasant and dangerous nature of underground work, apart from a few cases arising under artificial wartime 03118689 Industrie! Hygiene Pi refer. - 'mO CNJ conditions. On the other hand, almost 60% of patients blamed their work rorg their illness when they first came for treatment, and 40^ frankly disliked being coal miners on account of the general conditions of work rather than eo its dangerous nature. The author thinks that observations made on psycho- 03 logically ill men cannot be applied to miners as a group without complemen- = tary field studies among the normal mining population. Only investigators who are working in the mine itself and who are in constant close contact with miners should make pronouncements on mining questions, tut even authors who fulfill those conditions draw conflicting pictures, varying greatly with the personality of the investigator. On the whole, however, it is difficult to eradicate the general impression of an atmosphere of disgruntled resent ment and restiveness, which must provide a favorable culture medium for neu rotic reactions. Preventive medicine has done much to avoid the causes of physical disability, but an investigation into the psychological aspects should lead to adjustments likely to improve the general outlook of the miner and at the same time to attract badly needed recruits. -- From Occ.Med. 349 Can the Diabetic Work? Ethel M. Spears. Conf. Board Management Rec., j), 19-20 (Jan., 1947) Diabetes arises from failure of the pancreas to secrete insulin needed by the body to bum and store the sugar of the food. It is not curable but is generally controllable through the use of insulin and limitation of diet. The average controlled diabetic who continues under the care of his physi cian and is cooperative is usually able to live a comparatively normal life. He can accept practically any type of work and can perform his job in in dustry as efficiently as non-diabetic workers. Some severe cases may have insulin shocks occasionally, but usually know when shock is about to occur. They should not be placed in situations where danger would result from shock. First aid is essential for diabetic individuals on account of their low resistance to infection. They are not more susceptible to colds, pneu monia and other general illness than are non-diabetic employees, although they have more skin infections and are more subject to arteriosclerosis. Periodic examination will aid in determining the presence of diabetes. fioeiallgad Medicine Bad for You As for the five million 4-F* s, the correct figure was not five million, but 4,217,000. Of these, 2,048,000 were the armless, legless, blind, the mentally diseased, the Idiots, imbeciles," and morons* What medical care could have cured idiocy, brightened the morons, restored the amputated leg? Another 280,000 were syphilitic. Treatment for syphilis is offered freely everywhere. How could compulsory insurance have eliminated this group? If you continue this breakdown, you end up, not with five million, but about 1.5 million whose rejections might possibly be due to lack of medical care. And it is doubtful if compulsory insurance would have altered this figure. They did not, most of them, lack care because they could not get it. They lacked it because they had not been educated to want it. -- From Better Homes and Gardans (Jan., 1947); Abet* in Occ. Med. (Feb., 1947) 03118690 Industrie! Hygiene Dips at - 36 ----------------------------- ! f Rehabilitation ! March. 1347 -350 sr=3 l--j (c*5) legal and Administrative Handicaps to a Rehabilitation Program. B.E. Kuechle. Occ. Med., 421-427 (Nov., 1946) This paper was presented at the Foundation meeting in November and has been abstracted in the Digest for November, 1946. It was officially publiahed in Transactions, 11th Annual Meeting. Absenteeism, Hours of Labor, Etc. Sickness Absenteeism Among Industrial Harkens,. Second and Third..Quarters of 1946. W.M. Gafafer, Pub, Health Repts., 2, 272-276 (Feb. 21, 1947) In both quarters of 1946, the most significant feature of the sickness statistics is the decrease in all four classes of diseases. The decrease is greatest for respiratory diseases, approximately 40% of their incidence for 1945. All classes of diseases had been increasing from about 1939 to 1944, and the present decrease narks a return to more nearly normal condi tions. The figures for the fifth cause of absence considered in the statis tics, non-industrial accidents, do not show a definite trend. 1 1 Insurance and Medical Economics i _ ___________ .. ___________ Statistics of Losses andLate=Mking in Herkmew's Compensation Insurance. Anon. J. Am. Ins., 24, 23-25 (Jan., 1947) The fundamentals of rate--making in workmen's compensation insurance are presented in this paper which is one of a series dealing with various kinds of insurance. Calculation of a fair rate is complex on account of differences in wages, hours worked, exposure to hazards, and state laws. o o Statistics assembled by the National Council on Compensation Insurance are valuable in evaluating' those differences. The highlights of their methods are described. Statistics are of greater importance in workmen's compensa tion than in any other kind of insurance. Continual changes in methods are taking place, and the device of reflecting loss experience in the insurance cost has been a potent factor in improving industrial safety over the years. Mi Treads in Social Insurance. A.D. Marshall. Insurance Series No. 67 (Per sonnel Aspects of Insurance Planning). Am. Management Assoc, pp. 3-13 (1946) The paper describes the social insurance plan in force in the General Electric Company plants, its history, and its future needs. It now embraces 03118691 HHBB-0012368 Industrial Hvyi.enft Pi feat - 37 March. 19*7 life insurance, retirement and permanent disability pensions, mutual benefit associations for sickness and non-industrial accidents, (including dependents of about 20% of the employees), scholarships and loan funds for education, a relief and loan plan for emergencies, and savings through payroll deduc tions. The three basic principles of the plan are employee contributions, employee participation in the problems of administration, and demonstrated desire on the part of employees for any new feature or change in the program. Two additional factors are the opportunity for the employee to participate at the earliest reasonable date after employment, and constant study of plans to meet employees' changing needs. Several pages of questions and answers, covering details of the program, follow the prepared paper. 554 Proceedings of the Conference, an Preventive Medicine and Health Economics, Seot. 50-0ct. 1946. School of Public Health, University of Michigan, inn Arbor, Mich. 245 pp. (1947) About 40 papers were presented at this Conference, with the number on Health Economics slightly in the majority. Preventive medicine is dis cussed from the viewpoints of social obligation,! clinical and social ap proaches in teaching, its place in the medical curriculum, and teacher training. Teaching in biostatics, industrial hygiene, epidemiology, and public health administration are considered as gateways for instruction in preventive medicine. The Community Approach Through Teaching in Industrial Hygiene is dis cussed by G.E. Hall, pp. 89-90. Ha points out that Industrial hygiene is part of the general field of preventive medicine and ehows how sanitation, accident prevention, removal of industrial hazards, and job analysis are -parts of the picture. He points out fields in which progress is needed, including appraisal of mental capacity in job. analysis, employment of physically sub-standard workerb, and interest of the employer in the wor ker outside his working time. Over all the discussion of Health Economics hovers the shadow of possible socialized medicine. Among the subjecte appearing and reappear-, ing in the various papers are the need for same form of health insurance, the description of some plans for insurance, grave doubts about the suc cess of any compulsory government insurance, and difficulties that are inherent in any plan. After the general subjects are discussed, there are several papers on teaching health economics. Public Health 555 Progress Toward a Wo-rld Health flrgaalzatlon. Office of International Health Relations, U.S. Public Health Service. Pub. Health Repts., &Z, 225-248 (Feb. 14, 1947) This paper presents a summary of the proceedings of the first two meetings of the Interim Committee of the World Health Organization, held at New *ork, July 19-26, 1946, and at Geneva, November 4-15, 1946, respectively. The organization is one of the specialized agencies of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The work so far accomplished consists of organization, appointment of committees, progress toward the f o 03118692 HW8B-B012369 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 58 Jtoh. 1947 establishment of headquarters, and definition of relationship with the United Nations, its other specialised agencies and other bodies* A third meeting Trill be held at Geneva on March II, 1947* 2^6 Q r. Economy of Red Usage in Tuberculosis. H.E. Hilleboe. (Editorial) Pub. Health Repts., , 185-187 (Feb. 7, 1947) Questions involved in making the best use of the limited supply of beds for tuberculous patients are discussed. The author concludes: "Available beds should be used principally for the spreaders of tuberculosis whose le sions can be arrested, and for minimal cases with laboratory evidence of active disease* This does not preclude the hospitalization of a limited number of minimal cases when the question of activity is still in doubt. This is in accord with changing social views on illness. It is becoming more and more widely recognized that a tuberculous patient is not only an Individual in a community but also a carrier of a disease in that community. We must choose carefully in terms of social welfare if limited resources are to be utilized and tuberculosis eventually eradicated." Tuberculosis Case Flndlmn--A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Various Roantgenograpbi n FhotoflunrngT-apM o Methods. C.C. Birkela, W.E. Chamberlain, P.S, Phelps, P.E. Schools, D. Zacks and J. Terushalmy. J.A.H.A., 122, 559-566 (Feb. 8, 1947) A Board of Roentgenology was appointed by the administrator of veter ans1 affairs to study the effectiveness, for tuberculosis case finding, of various roentgenologic and photofluorcgraphic methods. A 55 mm. photofluorogran, a 4 by 10 inch stereo-photofluorogram, a 14 by 17 inch paper negative and a 14 by 17 inch celluloid film were taken, within a few min ute^ of one another, on each of 1,256 persons. The four sets of films were interpreted independently by two radiologists and three chest specialists. A second independent reading of the 14 by 17 inch celluloid films was ob tained from each of the five interpreters. The material was analyzed in considerable detail as to the variation resulting from the limitations of the various methods as well as from the subjective errors inherent in film interpretation. The results of the analysis justify the conclusions that, except for a slight disadvantage to the miniature technics resulting from overreading, not one of the methods, not even the 14 by 17 inch celluloid, is superior, for case finding purposes, to any of the other methods. In addition to this conclusion, a number of other recommendations may be derived from this study. These are as follows: (I) The prohlem of in terindividual and intraindividual variation in film interpretation is of such large magnitude that it becomes important to subject this prohlem to a very extensive and detailed investigation. (2) That a revision of the method of classifying x-rays, including that of the National Tubercu losis Association classification, is needed. Such revision must be based on extensive study and actual experimentation. (5) In mass survey work it is recommended that all survey films be read independently by at least two interpreters. All persons whose films were selected as positive or suggestive for tuberculosis by one or the other of the interpreters should be recalled for further study. -- Authors' summary and conclusions. 03118693 NWB8-001237B Industrial Hygiene Digest - 59 Marsh. 1<H7 Accident Prevention fe] (515) 0o E=fl 558 Who Are lour Accident-Pranas,.- and Whv? W.F. Hubbard. Safety Eng,, , 14-15, 51-34 (Feb., 1947) A long program of investigations of accidents resulted in bringing greater empha-sis on the human factor in the safety effort. A survey dis closed the need of additional guards, but scarcely one accident could be charged against those hazards. The causes lay not in the machine meth ods, or training, but in the man himself. This idea led to a study, not of "When, Where, and How* but of "Who, How often and Why." Four questions were set up, and largely answered by the survey: (1) Are workers prone to a certain type of accident, independent of the type of exposure in their de partment? The accident pattern is seldom sufficiently definite to rely on, but there are certain types of accidents which repeat in an individual, for eign bodies in the eye, strains and dermatitis were the most usual in this company. (2) Does the number of accidents which a man has in one period foretell the number he will have in the next? No. Some men are consistent ly above or below the average, but how much above or below varies greatly. (3) Can a serious (compensable or lost time) accident be foretold by the type or number of accidents in a given period? This question gave the real lead. It was found that about 1056 of the men could be selected in one month that would account for about 50$ of the lost time or medical - expenses the next month. Thus each foreman had only one or two men to watch closely. (4) If any one of the above is true, can a man's diffi culty or proneness to accidents, be located and corrected so as to prevent future accidents? Five general types of accident-prone workers were found: the fast moving, the clumsy, the worried, the new to the job, and the falsely brave. The first group can be helped by the foreman and made slower and surer; the clumsy Should be assigned to safer jobs; the worries of the third group can be located, talked over, and often solved; experience is the cure for the fourth, tut generally not much can be done for the fifth, because they refuse to learn. Simple direc tions are given for computing statistics to determine the accident-prone. 359 Shall TTe Throw Out Frequency Rates? 8.A. Zeiger. Safety Ehg., 20 , 34-35 (Feb., 1947) The author contends that accident frequency rates, of themselves, have very little significance fbr concerns genuinely interested in safety rather than records. He thinks that managers in general will agree with that view, although safety engineers will disagree. The frequency rate can be computed quickly; it is exact; it was the first method set up; and it has been thoroughly sold. However, it has certain disadvan tages. Unjustified conclusions are drawn from too little statistical data, and it is a number, and does not measure effect. Authorities have argued against the severity rate that it depends too much on chance, overlooking the fact that frequency is also a matter of chance. The severity rate requires longem to calculate; on the other hand it has one great advantage; it can be translated readily into dollars and cents. A formula is given for calculating the severity rate from the frequency . i- 03118694 HWB8-0012371 Industrial Rvg-Lene Digest - 40 Marchr 1947 rate when the data are at hand, and frequency and severity rates for several large corporations in 1944, showing the superiority of the severity rate in indicating actual safety* Behavior Accidents. J.F. Agar. Paper before 1946 Fall Safety and Fire 'O'cv Conference. Abstracted in Chem. Engineering, ji, 248 (Jan., 194?) "Behavior" accidents result from the failure to follow established pro cedures and to use prescribed safety devices. This class of accidents must be prevented at the source--the individual. Behavior is ordinarily caused, s^i rather than a spontaneous phenomenon. Officials responsible for a safety program must get at the reasons why men fail to follow instructions. This calls for a study of the man, the conditions of his job and the adequacy of the instructions given him. The following is offered as an eight-point safety program to cope with behavior accidents* Development of a basic program, selling the program to the workers, outlining safe practices, training the workers, constant emphasis on training, encouraging workers to "see* what they look at, discovery of causes for behavior failures, and treatment of the causes. Ten Tears of Safety fork In a Scottish Colliery Group. The Safety Record of the Fife Coal Co., Ltd., 1956-1945. J.N. Williamson. Colliery Guard., 174. 133-157, ,171-174, 207-210 (Jan. 24, 31, Feb. 7, 1947) (Abstract of read paper) Legislation in itself does not increase safety; effort toward greater safety must in the main come from the industry itself. The author describes the progress toward safety made by the Fife Coal Company, Ltd. in Scotland and Its results. A Central Safety Committee has been working for a number of years. A subcommittee has prepared a code of standards, including pro visions for support of workings, layout and maintenance of haulage systems, protective equipment, coal-cutting, and electricity, and additional codes are being drawn. The responsibilities of the colliery safety committee, safety inspectors, labor bureau, and first aid organisations are outlined. The primary object of a safety movement is the awakening and maintenance of interest in safety on the part of executives, managers, foremen, and the rank and file. The last is the most difficult group to keep interested; but by the use of posters, signs, calendars, pay-line slogans, personal letters, employees' magazine, competitions, and the use of the press, worth while results have been secured. Among the educational features, boys' and adults' safety classes, and training of supervisors and of future executives have been prominent. The use of protective equipment of all forms has led to a continual decrease in injuries to hands, heads, feet and eyes, from 1931 to 1958, although the rate of those injuries rose somewhat during the war years. Among the occupational diseases, "beat" or subcutaneous cellulitis is highest in incidence. Reporting and treat ment of this disease in its incipient stage has checked its progress in a large number of cases. Nystagmus is now rare on account of improved lighting standards provided by the general use of cap lamps. Only two cases of Weil's disease occurred during the period, and their occupational origin has not been definitely established. On the other hand, the inci dence of both dermatitis and pneumoconiosis has increased since 1943, and -Ule situation calls for research and speedy control of the hazards. The results of the entire safety program are shown in tables and graphs of injury frequency. The decrease in injuries of the company's employees 03118695 * NWBB-00123 Inmistr-lal Hygiene D1 - 41 Mnrr'n,. 1 QApj has been about 70% from 1930 to 1945, a considerably greater decrease than is shown for all British and all Scottish collieries. There is a rise in 1942 in all three curves, but they all dropped to new lows in the three succeeding years. In the philosophy of safety outlined in the author's conclusions, the following are pertinent statements: "Safety is not some thing superimposed upon mining operations but is an integral part of them. Accidental injuries are not acts of God or an inevitable by-product of the injury but the result of lack of planning, training, supervision, and dis cipline........It Is the responsibility of management to provide employees with safe working conditions, safe equipment, and proper supervision. It is the responsibility of employees to develop a safety sense and to do their work in the safest possible way." 362 Safety Fundamentals In Exploit van HnndUng. R. Relder. Safety Rev. (Navy Dept.), 4, 16-17 (Feb., 1947) The author discusses seven fundamentals that are of primary impor tance. He summarizes them as follows: "(1) Free exit must be available. (2) Personnel should be limited. (3) Amounts should be limited. (4) Safety distances should be established and adhered to. (5) Preventive maintenance must be periodic and complete* (6) Standard operating proce dures should be written for every job and followed closely. (7) "While the effect of explosive material is relatively local, the missiles can cause damage over a greater radius. All these things we have discussed may be considered tangibles. To them must be added a further word of caution. Call this an intangible if you will--personnel morale. The most expert safety planning may be of no value unless it is accompanied by mental alertness to detect abnormal conditions and by an attitude of . respect--without fear." o .jvj-'-1 -7'-. ^565 How Ophthalmic Eve-Care Can Prevent Merry In&iatrial Accidents. N.F. Stump. Trans. Am. Acad. Ophth., JH, 219 ff. (July-Aug., 1946) Studies of eyesight in factories reveal, that persons with uncorrected visual inefficiency are more prone to accidents than workers with effi cient visual performance. In one series-of experiments three separate groups were compared: an accident-free group, a group with high frequency of minor accidents, and a group which had had serious injuries. In far acuity, depth perception, and relation of muscular balance at naar and far distances, the Ortho-Eater results showed a gradation in the same direction among the same groups. In two other seriei of experiments at factories in different parts of the country,, .the classifications were made according to visual standards and accident ratings found for the different groups* Again there was marked correlation between good visual performance and freedom from accidents. -- From Occ. Med. 03118696 HWBB-0012373 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 42 INDEX Marchr1947 '3$&SiSlL w'c'1946 (2nd and third (Q^Ji quarters 351 l(7=nl behavior 360 industrial Q_n prevention through eye-care 363 )proneness 358 statistics C----^ frequency rates 559 r-bome infections control of 332 pollution /conference proceedings 325 Pino acids (Oja detoxifying agents 295 __ istos iust L--^control of 327 Aviation high altitude problems 318 BAL rsenic therapy 287 . eve rom alkali 289 erapy 288 MatooCLda ronic poisoning from 300 bon monoxidepoisoning tiology 307 joisoning 286 3afety data sheet 309 lymo1-barbital teat 357 Chlorine nniaoning (f^ixygen therapy 285 Bluing . Cv3>sychiatric illness 348 [b-^fsfety (Scotland) 361 Cyanides pafe handling 328 n__ skin sensitisation ^ " (animals) 538 Dermatitis in aircraft workers 525 industrial control and preven- tion 322 . from ragweed 324 glntetes and ability to work 349 Disability insurance California Plan 344 Dust control . Fontana Dam 329 Efficiency recreation and Ethvlene dichloride 546 toxicity Explosions 310 safe handling 362 from static humidity as a factor 334 Pibromvo sltis 282 Fluorides in industry 303 Fluorosis industrial in cattle 5)4 Formaldehyde safety data sheet 311 Garages health hazards in 353 Glucurojjiq estimation of Grievances 336 handling of Health education 343 nurse* s part in 294 Heat control of Industrial health 296 India (Bk. Rev.) 275 report (Conn.) 317 Industrial medicine during war (Gr. Brit.) 316 Industrial .toxicology solving problems in 345 276 Labor laws and agencies federal 259 Labor-relations act guide (Bk. Rev.) 275 Liver function tests animals 342 Medics 1 service .glsc war department 284 Methyl bromide fatalities from 313--314 Mining, copper dust control 330 Hilda?,r, energy in industry 298 physiologic effects 297 safeguards 326 Pancreatitis accidental injury and 283 Paraformaldehyde safety data sheet Pneumoconiosis 312 grain end seed dust 306 a review 302 Preventive medicine conference (Univ. of Mich.) 354 Production^ increased and eye conservation 347 Psychiatry, industrial 292 Pulverized materials storage (air activation) 335 Radiant energy effects (Bk. Rev.) 272 Radium metabolism (animals) 341 Rehabilitation legal and adrainistral-- tive problems Sarcoidosis 350 319 Silloosis blood findings in progression 278 277 03118897 *8BB-001237i Industrial Hygiene Digest -_4 INDEX (Continued) .March r 1947 Social insurance Thresher1 s lung 505 Tumors, malignant trends 355 Trichloroethylene radiation of 2 ol&&& tiood findings from 315 Weil's disease 3 . safe use and storage Trimethyl phosphate Women in industry <^cj 331 toxicity (animals) 340 during war (Gr. Brit.) Sulfw: dioxide Tropical disease 274 lung damage from 308 in industry 293 Workmen's compensation S_n SurssrY*. .iafagtrlfil Tuberculosis rate making 352 L--j refrigeration technique case finding 357 Farid health .organization 291 effect of electric 355 Tetraethyl lead shock on 279 X-rays poi soning 302 hospital problems 356 blood effects 299 Thloglvcolic acid in industry 200 toxicity (animals) 339 x-ray detection 281 03218698