Document LpYm478dkb9DNZK6BQ0jKBmxb

22 Tzvcnty-third Annual Safety Congress--National Safety Council WHEREAS, there is such pressing need for prompt executive action to put these measures into effect and stop these needless tragedies; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Safety Council re spectfully urges the President of the United States to call the Governors of the several States into conference as early in tle new year as practicable, to lay be fore them the seriousness of the situation, the remedies which have been developed for correcting these conditions and the necessity tor prompt and united action in alt the Stales to adopt and more energetically carry on an cfTcdlvc program lor the protection of life and limb on our streets anti highways. a By forma] motion, and by a rising vote, the entire audience of delegates and guests approved this action of the Council Executive Committee. Following this. Lt.-Cnl. Reninger read tlte following letter received from the President of tlte United States: THE WHITE HOUSE My dear Mr. Long: WASHINGTON September 27, 1934 1 wish to extend to the memltcrs of tlte National Safetv Council, in session at the twenty-third Annual Safety Conference, my most cortftal greetings and my heartiest good wishes for the success or your endeavors. Tlte fact that you arc concerning yourselves with saving life, tltat you arc keeping m view human values and inrsoital security commends your program to the entire country- I am greatly impressed and pleased with the constructive steps already taken toward the elimination of accidents. especially highway disasters, which, I>ccause avoidable, arc douhlv tragic. This is a problem which we must attack with the utmost energy and persistence. Ultimately tux* may expect to reach the solution of highway safely, provider! complete cunjicratton on the Jart of all citizens is given to concerted efforts of groups such as yours. At present the rising toll of fatalities on roads and city thoroughfares indicates in a manner all loo grim that we are still far from the goal. American automotive developments ami our unequalled system of highway com munications which have given signal contributions to our convenience, pleasure, and commerce, must not be permitted to devolve into instruments of death and disaster. I assure you of my keen (tcrsonal interest in your efforts and commend your splendid program to induce cooperation among every citizen in our nation with the movement looking to the prevention of needless fatalities--a drain upon our most precious natural resource which must be ended. Very sinccrdv vours, FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. Mr. John E. Long. President. National Safety Council, c/o Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland. Ohio. President John E. 1-ong then arose and introduced Mr. Harold G. Hoffman, Commissioner of Motor Vehicles of. New. Jersey, who presided as Toastmaster. His witty introduction ot tlte sftcakcr ol the evening. Dr. John Davis, of New York Chy. was highly appreciated by the big audience; and was only surpassed, pcHiaps. by tlic brilliant address of Dr. Davis, himself. Dr. Davis was listed hi the program to #i*cak on "The Spirit of America.'' IXspite this handicap, he seized the opportunity to present a highly popular mono logue--so |Hipular in fact that his success mounted steadily throughout the evening; and it was readily agreed, after an hilarious session, tltat no Ixmquct of the Council had approached this for many a year. ADJOURNMENT twunty-thian annual safiity congrhss A' AT IU A' A L S A T V. T Y C O U A' C11. Dust in Industry FRIDAY AFTERNOON SESSION October 5, 1934 The session devoted to a discussion of Dust in Industry was called to order by Dr E. G. Mcitcr, Director, Industrial Hygiene l-aboraUiry, Employers Mutual La bility Insurance Co., Milwaukee, who presided. Dr. Mcitcr briefly welcomed the delegates and then introduced tlic first speaker. Types of Dust That Cause Occupational Diseases By LEROY U. GARDNER, M.D. Director, Saranac Laboratory for the Study of Tuberculosis, of the Edward LTrudeau Foundation, Saranac Lake, N. Y. Tlic siwakcr said in part: Experience has demonstrated that the lung tissues can tolerate very large amounts of most kinds of foreign dust particles without, serious interference with function- Tlic lung may lie intensely pigmented by colored dust* with no evidence that respiration is impaired. But dusts composed, in whole or in part of silica have been shown to )>c dangerous liccausc they stimulate the growth of'the connective tissues of the lungs and bring about the formation of scar tissue. This dcstrovs the normal elasticity of the organ which is necessary tor respiration and it thickens the delicate membranes so that a free interchange/*! gasses is impeded. Fortunately, these results only follow the prolonged inhalation of very targe quantities of silica. .... ,*.................... ...... , Experiments have demonstrated that the injection of silica into the tissues ot animals kills the cells where the substance lodges and excites an inflammation. When healing takes place a very dense and characteristic kind oi scar tissue forms. Most non-siliccous dusts produce no inflammation and very little scar. It has liccn shown tliat such changes do not follow the inj*cction of silica unless the particles arc very fine, three microns or less in diameter, and unless enough of them localize in one area. With larger particles the rate of reaction is so slow that little change occurs within a year. As a general rule, the finer the fiarticlcs, the more rapid the ceffufar response. The reaction to fine silica begins within four or five hours and it continues for n period of years. If the silica is combined with liases in the form of silicates, it rarely produces such active and progressive changes. Tlic silicate of magnesium, asbestos. docs cause the formation of scar tissue in experimental animals and in the human lung, but most other silicates are not generally recognized as irritating. Recently it has been claimed that a hvdrated silicate of aluminum and potassium, called scncite. is responsible for most of the eases of silicosis. This silicate, a transformed feldspar, is often associated with quartz and it has licen identified in the lungs of persons suf- 23