Document MM0E1O91ExxwQn1mQxbYzx78y

HmBB-001OA53 Industrial Hygiene Digest Sliteiatule dbshacts MEDICAL ENGINEERING LEGAL -- decisions and trends Health Tiews IMnrA'v H\ INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE FOUNDATION 4400 FIFTH AVENUE PITTSBURGH, PA. r^ -Sr ,<5\ Vol. 4. FOUNDATION FACTS Foundation Fact* it a monthly nevv$>letter ittuad to indurtrial concern* holding memearthip m a-lnduttriai Hygiene Foundation. The Foundational i* a combined reteai*eh and aervice inttitution to erateet the health of worktrt m induetry.'^i & J .-<=?. -------------- to N--o, 1, gaos Four Mere er.oanies Join Foundation 5 Four companies have affiliated with the Foundation since the first of the year. They are: The Flintkote w., Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co., Pacific Coast Pulp and Paper Manufacturers Assoc., and Owens-Corning Fiberglae Corp. Proceedings of .Annual Mooting Available Soon The rroceedings for the Foundation's sixth annual meeting, numbering 176 pages, arc now running through the press. and will be distributed to members in a few days. For your ov.n benefit, please gave bulletin "preference rating" in your organization. It is by far the most important Proceedings the Foundation has ever issued, replete with exhaustive material on sued: divers subjects in industrial health as: Effect of arc welding fumes on susceptibility to tuberculosis, use of alu minum powder as a possible preventive in silicosis, statistical and economic studies of sick absenteeism, comments on the Mine Inspection Lav/, modern industrial hygiene methods in war industries, protection of men and machines against saboteurs, legal trends and now legislation, a rich informal discussion of employee health with res pect to industrial relations and an analytical study of fatigue which is a bulletin in itself. V.'atch for the Proceedings and put it to work'. Sickness vs. Production The Gallup Poll estimates that throughout the United States 24 million man hours of vork were lost because of illness in the four week period of November 24 to December 20. This is in approximate agreement with findings from studies of sick absenteeism made by the Public Health Service. This ruinous loss MUST be reduced^ Sow can our staggering production demands be met with workers losing an estimated 400 million days each year through illness? What can bo done about it? The first step is an inventory, an audit of sick absences. Through the Foundation, a number of member companies are now engaged in such a study. Conservation of Materials The Foundation has been asked by the Industrial Salvage Section, Bureau of Industrial Conservation, Washington, to help "enlist the active cooperation of every individual in every manufacturing establishment, mine, mill, etc., tc reclaim or sal vage critical commodities such as iron and steel scrap, non-forrous metals, cotton and woolen rags, paper and rubber." The Bureau urges companies which have not al ready occod to institute the f'Hewing simple program, NOW: "1. Tut some cr.o responsible indiviaual in charge of salvage throughout all departments of your business and give him authority to organize and start at once an emergency 'clean up' cr:.p;;i-~, to bo followed with a permanent salvage organiza tion; 2. devise or. effective method of bringing the message of conservation to all of your employees every day; build into your plan a prolan to keep it alive, don't lot initial enthusiasm die. Teas is a continuous job." IOlISTQiAl HVaiESE FOUNDATION .400 FIFTH AVENUE PITT8BUOOH -rt\ <?\ <C : January, 1342. \ o l. 7T. Industrial Hygiene Foundation, 4430 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburguh, ?. :d :3 i :s :c 'USTRIAL HYGIENE DIGEST Literature and News r<ev;s Items i i 1 'Workers in Industrial Plants Told What to do in an Air Raid. The plant protection division of the Office vf Civilian Defense December 29 issued the following instructions for workers in industrial plants a3 to their conduct in the event of an air raid: 1. Keep v/orking -until our air-raid alarm is sounded. 2. Take cover. 3. Keep cool and help others to keep cool. 4. Don't phone or shout -- listen tc your air-raid warden. 5. If you have a plant defense post, take that position at the sound of the alarm. 5. Others continue their usual tasks until the air-raid wardens give the signal to take temporary shelter. ?. Take the necessary safety measures for your machine and tools. 3. Do not show lights. 9. Fight incendiary bombs. Conflagrations arc avoided by controlling such bombs at once. 10. Remain "alert" in the prescribed safe place until the "all clear" signal i3 given and then return to work. 11. Remember that this is a war of production and that production must continue. Your plant is taking every precaution for your safety. 2 The Seven-Day Wook in Now York State. On the request of the A'ar and Navy Departments, the first formulation was made for procedures to aid primary and subcontractors working on war orders to secure, where necessary, certain relaxations in hour regulations embodied in the State labor laws. Where legal restrictions can be shown to intorfere with maximum pro duction, applications 'will bo considered for pemission to work women seven days a week or on a three-shift basis or tc waive other provisions of law restricting their hours of employment. Management and labor arc concerned, as is the Labor Department, to prevent tho excessive lengthening of hours to the point where out put would actually be reduced through fatigue, industrial accidents and work steppage. This happened in the last war and in England after Dunkerque and in Nazi Germany. Tho experience cf many other countries as to what conditions make for maximum production v/ili be considered in decisions on applications. From Nows Release by Frieda S. Miller, Industrial Commissioner, State of New York. H w B B -innU 'iG 6 Gas Gangrene. A new Kind of gas gangror.e threatens workers in America's industries less care is ta^or. tc guard open tuts and wc` ids from. magnesium splinters and dust, it appears from a report by Dr. Carey F. McCord, or thneo rnaedaiccaaj.l daeopoartmecnt oo;r the Chrysler Corporation at Detroit, Metallic magnesium and sen- of its alloys, the newest .n.ieiy used metal in v;ar industries, have been found to produce a unique gaseous condition when they get into wcunds. Unless the magnesium is properly and completely cleaned out of the wound, even trivial injuries cay become serious and prolonged. The condition that results is similar to gas gangrene, a serious war wound danger, except that it is caused by the magnesium instead of by gems. According tc report? received, this siad of chemical gas gangrene has boon very prevalent in German industries with as many as 5,000 cases in 1939. The studies by Or. McCord, Or. Stuart F. Mock and Dr. Gordon 0. Harrold, also of the Chrysler Corporation, arc believed to be the first in the United States showing the danger of r.ct cleaning out all metal particles cr dust from c wound in which magnesium particles might bo involved. "Early in our investigation," Dr. McCord reported, "we found that rat wounds in which small particles of magnesium had been introduced, unlike these contaminated with most metals, glass and wood, promptly lead to hydrogen gas formation in the tissues. The quantity of gas we found to be extensive and if neglected probably would produce a condition akin to a chaaical gas gangrene. In the- presence of magnesium particles it was discovered that hydro gen was evolved from the fluids of tho tissues themselves and if the metal was not immediately extracted, would form a gaseous tumor. Thus it would seem that injur ies resulting from not cleaning; all magnesium particles from wounds may b much more serious than ordinary industrial injuries. Tho danger of this effect of mag nesium calls, in the first place, for special preventive procedure against acciden tal injuries where magnesium particles might be involved, and in the second place, the availability of immediate proper medical care. The complete removal of all metallic magnesium apparently is vital." Science - Supplement 95, 10 (January 9, 1942. Legal Developments 4 Lead Poisoning from Fumes Held "Accident." The employee was engaged in painting a bridge. In this work he used a pressure spray gun. He was exposed tc the vaporized lead paint discharged by the spray gun. The first day on the job he asked for a respirator. Ho was furnished with one, but he claimed that by reason of its age and condition it was only partially effective. After working about a week the employee became disabled. He was found to be suffering from lead poisoning. The defense against the claim for compensa tion was that the employee had not suffered an accidental injury, but was suffer ing from a ncn-ccmpensablo occupational disease. This defense 'was rejected. The Court stated that an injury to an employee a3 the result of inhalation of vapor, gas or dust, may constitute an "accidental injury" as defined by tho Com pensation Act. In this case the acute lead poisoning was contracted in a short space of time, and the happening was sufficiently certain and definite in point cf time so as to constitute an "accidental injury." C.K. Howard ec Co. et al. vs. McKay ct al. (O.oia.) 117 Pac. 2nd 525 (September, 1941). Occup. Hazards 4_ 22, (December, 1941). naustriai Hygiene Digest - :s 5 Death of Helper on Gravel Loading Machine from Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. ~.e<3 cejving of Fatal Tick Bite During Course of anp.loyrr.ent. i rrcwse, husband of respondent, was -employed by Sait Lake County, petitioner, as ala helper on a gravel loading machine. While loading tracks for the County from the* waste dump of the Maxfield Mine in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Sait Lake County, ' Prcwse became ill on July 26, 194C, and subsequently died on August 2, 1940, of a disease diagnosed ns Rocky Mountain spotted fvver. There is nc question here as to the cause of his death, nor that hard-shelled ticks, carriers of Reeky Mountain spotted fever, are to be found throughout the Intermcuntain region. The sole question to be determined by this court is whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain the findings of the Commission that Prowse received the fatal tick cite during the course of his employment. On July 22na, Prowse had stated to his foremen that something had "bitten him cn the finger." It appears from the testi mony of Mrs. Prowse that Mr. Prcwse had not felt well for a few days previous to July 26th. That he had boon irritable and grouchy* Four witnesses for respondent testified that they had soen wood ticks in Big Cottonwood Canyon although none wore seen within three miles of where deceased worked. In the cases of fulminating in fections, as here, the period of incubation is determined as from two to five days. The Commission having granted an award, the court concludes that there is suffi cient, competent, material evidence appearing of record to support the finding of the Commission that the biting tick was picked up by the deceased during the course of his employment. The period of incubation involved in this case articulates with the probability that the tick bite occurred while he was at work, and docs not articulate with the dates he v;ent cn a picric or went swimming. The award is affirmed. Salt Lake County v. Industrial Commission of Utah. Utah Supreme Ct. Decided December 29, 1941 /(CCH). 6 Injury to Hand vrhile Employed cn a Piston Grinding Machine. Continued Favored 3a- ploynent. Supplemental Agreement. Later Develotmenfr of Leprosy. Compensation for Partial Disability. The following is a digest of the opinion for affirmance filed in a 4-4 decision rendered in this cause. Defendant appeals from award granting plaintiff fur ther compensation for partial disability. On about August 14, 1929, while em ployed on a piston grinding machine in defendant's plant, plaintiff, an experienced workman, sustained accidental injury to his right hand. He lost no compensable time and continued at favored work until he was discharged several months later. In October, 1932, plaintiff filed application for compensation. He was awarded compensation. Payments were made 'until February 23, 1934, when the parties enter ed into a supplemental agreement. In pursuance of such agreement plaintiff return ed to work at defendant's plant and continued at favored work until June, 1937, when he was found to have leprosy. On about February 3, 1939, plaintiff filed petition for further compensation, which claim is now disputed. The fact that plaintiff is confined in the leper colony by health authorities and is thereby pre vented from working at "favored employment," does not defeat his right to compen sation for his continuing hand injury. Defendant could introduce proof that the condition of plaintiff's hand was due to his leprosy and not to the accidental injury. However, the department, after hearing proofs of the leprous condition, determined that the continuing disabled condition of plaintiff's hand was due to the injury; and such determination of fact is final. Defendant contends that plaintiff, by failing t_ report in Detroit cn February 28, 1939, for physical ex amination, forfeited his right to further compensation, and that the failure of the department to require plaintiff to submit to an examination deprived defendant of a full and complete hearing anu of "its day in court." The record indicates that cn about February 25, 1939, while confined in the leper colony, plaintiff re ceived notice or citation from defendant to report in Detroit on February 28, 1925, Industrial Hygiene Digest - <*. no for physical examination. It v.-as apparently a physical impossibility for plain-S tiff to report for the examination on February 28, 1339, and he should not be penalised for his failure to do so. The award is affirmed. Motor Co. Mich. Supreme Ct. Decided January 5, 1942. (CCH). Sotcaayor v. ForO *^ ca 7 Burns from Muriatic Acid. Duty of Employer, Assumption of the Risk. Contributory Negligence. Defendant brought this appeal from a judgment rendered against him, in an action for damages for personal injuries which plaintiff claims to have sustained, during the course of his employment by defendant, as a result of burns caused by muriatic acid used in cleaning the outside brick walls of a building. Plaintiff testi fied that he had had no prior experience washing brick; that no one had told him the kind of acid used; that he did not know the danger of burning his skin in wash ing those walls; and that he had asked the defendant about the danger and defendant said there was nothing to it. It is a general rule of law that an employer is under an obligation tc inform himself of those matters of scientific knowledge rela tive to the dangers and hazards involved in the use of substances and processes used in his employment. The jury would have been justified in finding that defen dant should have foreseen that plaintiff might receive burns from this solution of muriatic acid. Nor can the court say as a matter of lav.- that plaintiff assumed <=J\ the risk of the danger or v.-as guilty of contributory nogligenco. The danger to plaintiff was latent and act open to the observation of one not learned in the science of chemistry. The evidenco of contributory negligence coming from the plaintiff was net sufficient to justify the court in directing a verdict against him. The judgment is affirmed. Marsonick . Lucchtefeld. Mo. St. Louis Ct. of App. Decided December 2, 1941. (CCH). ; 8 Hydrophobia Prevention Compensated. In this case the claimant, a farm hand, had filed application for the payment of medical fees of $54.50, incurred for Pasteur treatments. In his application he alleged that he had beer, handling sheep which developed rabies and on the advice of a physician and his emplcyor took the treatments as a preventive against hydro phobia. On recommendation of the medical investigator, the claim had been denied on the ground that there was no proof of trauma on which to base an accident claim end since the disease hod never been contracted, it could not be considered as a compensable occupational disease claim. Later, the Commission voluntarily reopened the case and the claims referee recommended its allowance as an occupational dis ease claim, on the reasoning that the medical expense involved may have saved the Commission from paying a death claim. In his opinion, contact with a rabid animal is sufficient tc justify the Commission in accepting jurisdiction in the caso. The CecT'ission approved the claim and ordered that medical bills be paid. Ohio Ind. Comm. Monitor 14, 185 (December, 1941). 3 ''Snap Finger" Compensated. The clair,iant in this case applied for the payment of medical fees incurred as the result of a finger condition which was due, he alleged, to his employment. The claimant is a chipper and his duties consisted of chipping the heads off a boiler by means of an air hammer. As a result of the constant jar and contact of the air hammer ho developed a "snap finger," which is the balling up of a tendon over a joint. The medical investigator reported that the condition was very unusual and that it v;cs evidently peculiar to claimant's employment, since it cleared up when he temporarily took up other work. The claims reviewer ms of the opinion that the claimant should be given the benefit of the doubt and the medical bills be paid. The Commission sc ordered and also that such treatment be provided as is authoriz ed by the medical ,-ection. jhic Ind. Comm. Monitor 14^ 136 (December, 1941). n tfp a -u u iu< nv Industrial Hygiene Digest - a. Injury from Inhaling Impure Air. Board's Finding as Contrary to Expert Test!- ; sony. : In 1937, Marcum filed his application for compensation with the 'r.cric'ien' s Com- , sensation 3oard alleging that on the 3rd day of February, 1937, he was pemane* ly and totally disabled by breathing impure air ar.d gases in the course of his i employment as a coal miner in one of appellant's mines. The board rendered an opinion adjudging Marcum to be totally and permanently disabled and awarded him the maximum compensation for 40C weeks. Appellant has prosecuted this appeal, contending, (i) that the evidence fails to establish that Marcum became ill from the inhalation of impure air; (2) the evidence establishes conclusively that his disability was caused solely by pro-existing disease. Marcum appeared as ~ wit ness. He testified that the ventilation was very baa and smoke created by ex plosives used in shooting the coal was caused to remain in the room by improper ventilation. After becoming sick and weak on February 3d, he quit work at 2:3C ?.M. His evidence concerning the bad ventilation and noxious gases was corrobor ated in full by a fcllov: workman. There is sufficient evidence to support the findings of the board in respect to the presence of impure air and gas in the room where Marcum worked on the day he claimed tc have been injured. Appel lant's second contention merits serious consideration, and is: That since the uncontradictcd medical evidence shews Marcum's disability could not have been caused by the inhalation of impure air or gas, and, since the cause of his dis ability is necessarily one beyond the realm of common knowledge and exclusively within the domain of expert opinion, such testimony is conclusive of the fact that the disability was net caused by inhalation of impure air or gas. Although the- opinions of physicians, skilled in their profession, will be given great weight by the courts, neither the medical nor any other of the sciences has yet reached the stage of infallibility; and, where circumstances are shown which, if true, would tend to cast some doubt as to the correctness of the opinion of the experts as hero, the issue resolves itself into one offset to be determined by the board. Opinion or expert evidence is neither conclusive, nor controlling as against evidence of facts. The judgaent is affirmed. Consolidation Coal Cc. v. Marcum's Admr. Ky. Ct. of App. Decided November 25, 1941. (CCH). 11 Dust from Rock Crushing. Silicosis -.1th Superimposed Tuberculosis. Injury as Accidental Rather Than an Occupational Disease. Notice of injury to respondent was given the board by respondent, stating he was a reck crusher operator and the accident happened by dust from rock crushing operations which has affected his right lung. The attending physician gave his diagnosis as silicosis with superimposed tuberculosis. Appellants resisted compensation on the ground that no proper notico had been given in tine, and that the proceedings woro barred by sec. 43-1202, contending in substance that rospondent was not even entitled to recover 'under the occupational disease statute, 1939 Sc-sa, Laws, chap. 161, because he had not been subject to condi tions conducive to silicosis for a sufficient length of time to entitle him to compensation thereunder. Giving full effect to chapter 161, 1939 Seas. Laws, p. 286, because of the defenses interposed herein, it was initially incumbent upon the beard tc determine v.'hether respondent was afflicted with disabling or non-disabling silicosis or accidental tuberculosis. The onset of the tuber culosis `herein, according to the evidence, v/as brought about by the action of silica dust, which v/as sudden and unexpected, and would bo regarded as accident al. Nor was the injury in any real sense an occupational disease. It is appar ently true that silicosis often results in tuberculosis. Respondent's affliction with incipient tuberculosis or his prodispostion or susceptibility to the same docs net bar compensation. ' Tuberculosis is not by the statute declared to be an occupational disease. Therefore, it is unnecessary to consider whether cr not a claim' for disability because of silicosis, disabling or non-disabling, as Industrial Hygiene Digest such, where a sufficient cine has net intervened tc make applicable the occupa-2 tional disease statute, is ne vertheless or for any . easen compensable. The order of the board is affime d. Dobbs v. Bureau of Highways et al. Idaho Supreme Ct. Decided Doccmb-r 1941. (CCH). T :a :a :* 12 Automobile Repairman. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Injury as due t: cn Accident1! Plaintiff brought suit against his employer, tho Marshall Company, its sales manager, Calkins, and its store manager, Cowan, tc recover for injuries alleged tc have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning suffered by plaintiff in his employment. Plaintiff took an involuntary nonsuit as to Calkins. The jury re turned a verdict in favor of Covan, and against the Marshall Company for 10,COO. The Marshall Company appealed and plaintiff appealed from the judgment rendered in favor of Cowan. Plaintiff's petition alleged that he was employed tc install parts and accessories cn automobiles; that Cowan wns employed by the Marshall Company as its store manager; that, as a necessary incident to plaintiff's work, motors were caused and permitted to run thereby emitting poisonous gases, so as tc poison the air in plaintiff's place of work; that plaintiff inhaled and ab- sorbec such gases, and as a result thereof "did contract a severe fem of occu pational disease incident and peculiar to plaintiff's employment"; and that plaintiff's injury was caused by defendant* 3 negligence. The Marshall Company claimed that if plaintiff was injured in tho manner alleged, the same wns govern ed by Workmen's Compensation Act and the circuit court was without jurisdiction. If plaintiff's injuries ware due to an accident, or series of accident#, rather than to an occupational disease, the primary exclusive jurisdiction would be in the Compensation Commission and not in the circuit court. Plaintiff filed a claim under tho Compensation Act, and after receiving several payments, volun tarily withdrew the claim and brought suit. There was abundant evidence that carbon monoxide gas is generated by the operation of automobiles and that such gas is common in garages. There was substantial, though disputed, evidence that plaintiff's injuries were due to the inhalation of such gas, but the evidence in this case fails to establish that plaintiff's injuries constitute an occupation al disease. The evidence shows that when such gases do exist in harmful quanti ty it is due to shutting off the flow of air from the outside. That constitutes an unforeseen event, happening more or less suddenly and violently and producing objective symptoms of an injury within the meaning of the Compensation Act. The exclusive original jurisdiction is vested in tho Commission. The judgment against the Marshall Company is reversed and tho judgment in favor of Cowan is affirmed. Tindall v. Marshall's U.a. Auto Supply Co. Mo. Supraae Ct. Decided December 12, 1941. (CCK). 13 Silicosis. Gypsum Mine. Safe Place to Work. Failure to Furnish Proper Protec tion. Contributory Negligence. The plaintiff Galeota, an employee of the defendant, United States Gypsum Com pany, brought this action to recover damagos for injuries he claims to have suffered because the defendant neglected to provide him with a safe place to work, or to furnish him with devices that wculd provent him from inhaling parti cles of silica from which he contracted silicosis. He sought to recover for negligence of the defendant in failing to observe its common law obligations and also in failing to observe certain provisions of the Labor Law of the State of New York. In order tc prevail, the plaintiff must show (l) that he had a con dition of his lungs knov.-n as silicosis, and (2) that the condition was caused in whole or in part by negligence of tho defendant occurring during the six months when he worked for the defendant. The plaintiff received a judgment. Plain tiff's evidenco indicated that when working in the gypsum mine he used an elec tric drill to remove the gypsum, and a jackhammer, to dislodge ash rock and roof i Industrial r.ygiene Digest - Q' tim \nVnV- 'i nnH* U !* rock. In each case dust was created. The defendant attacks the verdict mainly on the ground that there was no proof of the ar.cunt of free silica present in any dust which the plaintiff inhaled. The testimony was, hev.-ever, sufficient t( go to the jury and to justify the verdict for the plaintiff. The defendant contends that the plaintiff was barred frer. recovery by his own contributory negligence and by his assumption of risks inherent ir. r.is employment. There wa ne thing to show that the defendant instructed this employee that inhaling the dust would result in serious danger to him. This v;as its duty to a day laborer of no apparent education. There likewise was nc shewing that defendant furnish ed him with proper appliances to avoid exposure to silica dust cr with a safe place to work. Judgment affirmed. Galeota v. United States Gypsum Co. U.S.C.C.A., 2nd Cir. Decided December S, 1941. (CCH;_. 14 Workmen's Compensation Silicosis Fund, Charleston, W. Va., Seventh Annual Report, Year Ending June 30, 1941. C.L. Haaberiin. 15 pp. 1341. In host Virginia the V,'crkr.cn's Compensation Silicosis Act provides compensation benefits for silicosis only. An employer nay or may not elect to have its arc- visions apply. As of June 3C, 1941 there wore 29 employers, with 48,648 employ ees, operating as self-insurers under the Act. The report includes a financial >: statement, an account of activities of the Silicosis Division, a table of premium rates, a list of functions of the Silicosis Division, a brief description of sili cosis, and a claim record. According to this law, $500 iS awarded claims for first stage silicosis, $1000 for second stage, and for third stage, compensation for life it a rate of $8 tc $16 per week. From 1935 to 1941, 85 cases of silico sis or alleged silicosis have been reported tc the Department. Of these 32 were awarded and 33 denied, the remainder being claims still pending and 6 in which no application was filed. 15 Reports of Committees -and Resolutions Adopted by Sighth National Conference on Labor Legislation, November 12, 13 and 14. 1941. U.S. Dept, of Labor, Div. cf Labor Standards, Bull. No. 52-A. 23 pp. Il94i7. The Committee on State Labor Laws and Netional Defense reported that comparative ly few requests for relaxation cf labor laws have been received and that many of such requests have cone from non-defense firms. The Conmittoe has considered ac tion under two types of state laws, those v/hich grant no discretionary power and those which allow for administrative exceptions. Certain restrictive regulations were recotsiondcd for use with the latter typ. The report of the Committee on Safety and Health Program ana National Defense contains these general workmen* s compensation standards: (1) that the acts be compulsory as to type and apply to all employments; (2) that such acts should provide benefits for all occupational disease disabilities; (3) that necessary medical and hospital care should be pro vided without specific limits as to cost and time; (4) that administration of the acts should be kept informal and non-technical, and that adequate provision should be made to protect the interest of claimants whenever agreement settlements are permitted; (5) that appeals tc the courts from awards and docisions should be allowed only on questions of law; and (6) that cost of wortaaen*s compensation ad ministration should be pro-rated among insurance carriers and self-insurers, and that the operating cost cf State funds should be paid out of premium income. The conference also recommends the extension of worloaen's compensation coverage to include all interstate commerce operations. Relaxation of physical requirements for employment during the present emergency should not decrease the extent of medical control programs. In fact the data now gained on the otherwise unemploy able will be of great value. The conference strongly recomends that industrial aygicnc departments be established in all State labor departments. Priority classifications should be adjusted so that an ample supply of personal protective equipment can be mado available. (The abstract is confined to the reports of these Industrial Hygiene Digest - D. tv/o committees on pcintr which have a direct bearing on industrial hygiene. Thar other Committees are on Education and Training, Labor Supply and Training and 'Jz Priorities, Industrial relations, and Resolutions.) p IS Workmen's Compensation Act in South Africa. Anonymous. Ir.t. Lab. Rev., 44, 96-98 (iS41). i p \S An Act of May 5, 1941, establishes a State Fund to administer compulsory insur-:c ance, and the value of benefits is increased by about 35;' . To the compensable occupational diseases are added ankylostomiasis (hookworm disease) anthrax and illnesses caused by arsenic, benzene, halogen derivatives, phosphorus, radium and x-rays. The Act eliminates insurance companies and establishes an exclusive State Fund, except that two existing mutual associations are permitted to func tion. 17 Social Insurance in Latin America; Its State and Standards. M. Stack. Int. Labor Rev., 44_, 1-29 (1941). Closer collaboration cf the Latin American Countries with the International Labor Office began in 1934. Conferences of the South American Countries wore held in 1935 and 1939. At these conferences, social insurance standards wore determined fer the execution of long term policies. Every Latin American country has work men' s compensation laws, but in most of the states the only guarantee for the 7,^1016^ s claim is a privileged position in the employer's assets. Most cf the laws cover occupational diseases in a schedule. In some states compensation is paid by a Itnp sum which has a low maximum. Most of the countries have compulacry insurance providing long service or old age pensions and invalidity pensions for largo or small groups. Legal care for sickness and maternity is secured in a few states, but often in such a way as tc impose upon the employer. Broad schemes of compulsory sickness insurance exist in 5 countries. Detailed infonaation is pre sented about the insurance systems cf the various countries. 19 Prevention and Compensation in Silicosis in Spain. Anonymous. Int. Lab. Rev., 44, 99-100 (1941) / An order dated March 7, 1941, makes silicosis compensable in the most important industries. It also prescribes ventilation, medical pre-examinations and a yearly examination. Industrial Health Hazards and Their Effects 19 The Intra-tracheal Inoculation of Anthracite Dust Mixed with Dead Human Tubercle Bacilli into Rabbits. S.L. Cummins. J. Hyg., 41, 101 (September, 1941). Experiments are described showing that the collections of cells around anthracite dust mixed with de3d human tubercle bacilli ire quite different in nature from these that occur around dead tubercle bacilli alone cr anthracite dust alone. In the last two cases the absence of any large lesions in the lungs, is very notice able, whereas in lungs exposed to the mixture the areas marked out by the collec tions of epitheloid ana giant cells are extremely large and definite. It appears probable that the fatty and lipoid materials in tubercle bacilli may be held by some substance attached to the tuberculin portion which is, as has been demon* streted, adsorbed by the dust, or that there may be an adsorption by the dust of these constituents as well; however, the results of additional experiments with fatty and lipoid elements must be awaited. Industrial Hygiene digest - 3. 20 Pulmonary Diseases ir. the *Mining Industry, - savers. our. of Aimes Inff2T! Giro., No. 7146. 6 cp. (February, 1941). Obtainable frcr. liv. -,f Information, -- U.3. But. of Mines, '.vashingten, T.C. free. The principal pulmonary diseases to which the -.iner is subject are bronchitis, influenza and pneumonia, cuimcr.ery tuberculosis, anthracosilieesis, and silicc- :o sis. The sickness and death rates frcr- these discuses are rvuch higher in dusty! than in r.cn-dusty industries, especially ..here silioa dust is used or produced. Antrracosiiiccsic was found ir. 23w of 2,711 employees of three anthracite-mining compunics studied by the ".. Public Health Service ir: 1933, with 63,1 of the antrraccsilicotios showing evidence of disability. Tr.o principal pulmonary dis ease ir. metal nines is silicosis, ana :he chief menace in silicosis is tubercle infection. Analysis of date collected by the Public Health Service to determine sufe limits of dust exposure indicate that employment in an atmosphere containing loss than 5C million dust particles per cubic foot produces a negligible number of silicosis cases .'hen the puartz content of the dust i3 less than o:,s; v;hcn the silica content is about 1 cr-, 10 tc 15 million particles socn3 tc bo a safe limit. The -rustiest operations in mining are dry drilling, blasting of dry rook or ore, shoveling or mucking, loading and nauiing, and machine coal cutting. The dusti ness is determined by sampling, customarily v.lth the impinger in the United States' The principal method cf preventing pulmonary diseases is elimination of the dust; if not completely, at loest v.lthin the safety limits given. The principal methods of control arc ventilation, wet methods, proper blasting practice, personal res piratory protection, and physical examination of vrorkors. The efficiency of these methods is shown especially in Gouth Africa, v.horc they have been in use for the longest period. The liability to contract silicosis was loss in 1936^-37 by 655o t.-.an it was in 192G-23. Among the "now minors" who have entcrod the industry since 1916, and who constitute 77% of the total nvxaber of miners, the liability tc contract silicosis has beer, decreased by Q7% over the some period. Statistics are presented in a number of tables. 21 The Question of Silicosis as an Occupatinnat Disease in France. Etienne-ilartin. lied, du travail. 13, 1-4 (January-July, 1941). This paper introduces the January-July issue of Idedecin du travail, which is devoted entirely to the struggle to have silicosis recognized as a compensable disease. The employers, relying on the opinion of Policard and othor members of the Academic de Medicine, deny that silicosi3 is an occupational disease, and so no progress has been made. 22 !>ust and Disease. C.S. Chubb. Colliery Eng., IS,, 125-128 (Juno, 1941), 150-152 (July, 1941), 173-175 (August, 1941), 198-200 (September, 1941), 255-258 (Novem ber, 1941). The author presents a general review of "dust fibrosis," a term which ho believes to bo mere satisfactory than pneumoconiosis, which is cumbersome and leads to the use of silicosis to include other dust diseases. The first installment deals v.lth dust fibrosis in general. In the second, he discusses fibrosis in coal mines and concludes that coal dust is not harmless as some believe, but that in the ab sence of proof on either side, coal dust must be considered as a cause of fibrosis In the third installment silicosis is discussed and in the fourth, asbestosis, ar.thracosis, infection with silicosis, ana sidorosis. In the fifth compensation lews of various countries, prevalence of dust fibrosis in Groat Britain, and treatment arc discussed. Other installments are to follow. 23 Influence of Body Size cn Caseous Nitrogen Elimination During High Oxygen Breath ing. A.Ccumuad and ethers. Free.Soc.Exp.Biol.Med., 48 , 280-284 (October, 1941). The nitrogen physically dissolved in body tissues can be eliminated by breathing a gas mixture with low nitrogen content. Approximately 220 ec. of nitrogen are Industrial Hygiene Diges eliminated during 7 minutes cf breathing pure oxygen. The investigation dealt with the relation ox' amount of nitrogen excretoa to tody size. A close correla tion was found between nitrogen excretion, surface area and body v;eight. -a :s 24 "lament of Anthracosis. ?.A. Taylor. ?rcc. Soc. Expti. Biol, i lied, , 46, 7C-7ifc (C ctober, 1341). It has been a matter of controversy whether the pigment found in anthracite lungs is the soot originally deposited therein or a product cf hemorrhage ana inflamma tion. Treatment of the lungs with concentrated hydrochloric yielded a product high in nitrogen, which led some authors to cake the latter view. In the author's experiments uncontaninoted calf lung gave on acid treatment an insoluble residue containing S tc lC*o nitrogen. liowever, on treatment with alkaline hypochlorite or by papain digestion followed by hypochlorite there v.-as only a trace of residue. Xhen an anthracotic lung -was given the hypcchicrito treatment, a pignont was iso lated, and three samples contained 0.4 to C.&i- nitrogen, compared v.ith 0.4% for scot. The results leave no douot that the pigment is of external origin. 25 Experimental Air-Beme Disease, quantitative Natural Respiratory Contagion of Tuberculosis. V/.?. hells and il.B. Lurie. Am. 1. Kyg., 34, 2I-4C (July/ 194lT. Apparatus and methods for the study of quantitative, natural, air-bome contagion which have the fcliov.lng characteristics as applied particularly to respiratory infection in tuberculosis arc presented: (a) they estimate with constancy and considerable accuracy the "dose" of n-.truaily inhaled infection units; (b) the survival period, the preallorgic interval, and the type and prognosis of the en suing disease arc functions of the dose of naturally inhaled microorganisas; (c) 'With exposure to small, known doses, the disccse reproduces that occurring in rabbits of different inherited natural resistance when exposed to infected cagemates. This disease in the susceptible rabbits has the characteristics of a first infection, and resembles progressive primary tuberculosis in man. In the resis tant rabbits, it pursues a more chronic course, resembling reinfection tuberculo sis, or adult pulmonary phthisis in man. V.'hcn pure cultures of tubercle bacilli suspended in the air arc exposed at an average distance of 5 centimeters (12C millimicrons per sq. cm.) for 3 seconds, to ultraviolet light of 2537-A0 waveband, 94% arc killed. 26 Silicosis in Stourbridge Fireclay Miners. S. Leaner. Lancet 241, 417-420 (October 11, 1941). Three cases of silicosis were found among fireclay miners at Stourbridge, England, where the hazard was not previously suspected. Samples of the two types of clay contained 7.2 to 36.1% of free silica. One of the cases was diagnosed as silicoanthracosis; the other two were typical of silicosis. 27 Critical and Experimental Contribution to the Study of Pneunoconlosis from Sulfur. O.P. Schiavina. "?ass. med. ind., 12, 173-185, 244-266 (1941). (Italian). The author criticizes earlier publications on tho effect of sulfur on the lungs and the findings in workers in sulipxr Jozies, which are often contradictory and inexact. In his own experiments,/aqueous suspensions of quartz, carborundua, cal cium oxide, precipitatca pure sulfur and crystalline sulfur. The histologic effect was studied after various time intervals ranging from 37-102 days. He found a specific reaction to sulfur in the pleura, an exudative reaction prevalent ly fitrotic with only a slight tendency tc organization. This reaction is entire ly different from that cf any ether du3t, especially silica. * Ir.dustria- Hygiene digest - ... 28 Effect ct Barium Carbonate F'j.es on Respiratory Tract. Queries i. Miner Notes. J. At.. Mod. Assoc., 117, 1221 (Cctcber 4, 1941). Several,patients eoclcyeG in a factory where bombs arc- hectod in barium c&rbc.aa^e fused_ electrically'in a _tojik complained of a persistent^ ccugh-- Irene is no spciS del. ventilation for removal of femes, ana tBe question is whether the fumes era responsible for the irritation. Ihc barium ion is civ;ays toxic when absorbed, jjjjj b-t the answer is difficult because it is net known what barium compounds are * present in the air. Barium oxide may have a caustic action. Nascent oxygen, a* respiratory irritant, may be evolved. If the bomb casings ere covered with oil, fumes fro.', the heated oil may be responsible. ^Barium carbonate reaching the stomach may be changed to cerium chloride, which is very toxic. Good ventilation should bo supplied under such conditions as described. 23 Two Hundred Gases cf Silicosis. Ihc Initial Forms. M. Ccnrczicr and J, Magnin. Med. du trav., 12, d-dd (T94I~i~. (French) . Ihis paper contains many good roentgenograms and case histories of typical sili cotic s from the coal district of Gard. The silica (presumably quartz) content cf the rocs is 37^, and protective measures are lacking or inadequate. Therefore oilicosis is wide-spread. No miner working mere than 3 years is free from fibro sis; and mere than half the men in their sixth year of work have definite silico sis. Tuberculosis is rare. The x-rays show many men with nodules, but without fever or bacilli, in seemingly good health, but short cf breath and unable to work. The point cf much of the authors' description and argument is that silico sis may exist without tuberculosis, a point on which French industrial physicians and some scientists arc still unccnvincod. 3C The Roentgen Picture of the Lungs and Mediastinic in Lymphogranulomatosis Benlgna. ` .. 'vjnusson. .-vctoaAed.S^nn-lnavT," 102, Sll-o&S (1940). (Scandinavian)". After g brief survey of tr.o literature, the author presents 5 case histories of lymphogranulomatosis beuigna, with lung roentgenographs and on autopsy. The x-ray picture is similar to that of pneumoconiosis; hilar glands arc enlarged and >: chronic interstitial fibrosis is present, especially in the latter stages. The localization of these changes in the anterior parts of the lungs and the close relation to the nilus arc valuable signs for differentiating the condition from pneumoconiosis. 31 Rouge for Buffing ana Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Queries Sc. Minor Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 1492 (October 25, 1941). A young man working with two dusty materials both known as rouge for buffing, presented signs of tuberculosis and had an infiltration of the upper chest as re vealed by a roentgenogram. One of the materials is slate colored and the other the color of ordinary rouge. Without knowledge of the composition of the particu lar materials it is impossible to prognosticate their effects on the lungs. Rouge used for buffing is ordinarily composed of iron oxide, which does not produce serious pulmonary reaction unless contaminated by a high percentage of free silica. The roentgenogram is more suggestive of an infectious than a silicotic process, but if the mineral contains free silica it may be due to a combination of sili cotic and tuberculous changes. 32 Fat Metabolism and Susceptibility to Carbon Tetrachloride. J.C. Forbes and others. J\ Pharmacol., 72_, 202-210 (1941). The oral administration cf fat several hours before the time of poisoning marked ly increases an animal's susceptibility to carbon tetrachloride irrespective of the concentration of fat in the liver. Xanthine does not affect the concentra tion of serum lipiaes of fasting rats or the blood lipide concentration following ingestion of butter-fat. Xanthine injections do not affect the ketonemia of starvation. % nW B B -uuH iaob Industrial Hygiene Digest - 12. 33 Notes on Pi^an Pula?nary Anthraccsis. 7. Nittcr.c. Doc. Part. Jap. Trans., 30, 290-296 (1940). (Japanese); (Did. Absts. 1^, 1646, October, 1541). In 69 oases of anttracosis there was no difference in the amount of pigment in the lungs. In general there v;as no difference between the upper and lower lobes The midale lobe of the right lung had the least amount of pigment. The costal surface cf the lung had the most pignent and the interlobar pleurae tha least. The phagocytic cells that ingest the dust arc derived from the alveolar epitholi Less active areas cf the lung, such as atelectasis, healed tubercles, fibrosis or healod pleuritis, had mere pigment than normal tissue. The dust is ror.ovod from the latter more effectively by the passage of air. Of 108 cases studied, only 4 had anthraccsis involving spleen, liver, heart and kidney. This is said to re sult from hematogenous metastasis of the dust particles from the lungs. 34 Cavities in the Silicotic Lung. A Pathological Study with Clinical Correlation. A.J. Vorwald. An.J.rath., 1, 709-716 (September, 1941) . The three types of cavities in the silicotic lung, arc described: (1) those associated with typical tuberculosis that is little modified by coexistent sili cosis; (2) cavities occurring in areas of silico-tuborculosis resulting from com bined local effect of tubercle bacilli and silica dust; and (3) cavities of the so-callod anemic type that develop ir. massive areas of fibrosis but show no evi dence of causative organisms or cellular reaction. The last are usually siall, elongated and slitliko. Their content resembles ink but is more fluid and not purulent. The inner zone cf the cavity is an indefinite, ragged zone of actti* necrotic tissue. There is an absence of histopathologic and bacterioiogic evi dence of infection. In areas of massive fibrosis the blood vessels bocoae oblit erated and the resulting anemia is followed by areas of local necrosis which, be cause of autolysis, ultimately liquefy and excavate. 35 Chronic Fatigue Symptoms Among Industrial 'Workers. R.V. Ward. Canad. Pub. Health J., 32_, 464- 7 {September, 1941). During the present speed-up in production there has been an increase in minor symptoms indicating fatigue in a group of industrial workers, including loss of appetite, insomnia, easy crying, irritibility and the feeling of fatigue itself. The physical signs most often found in these pationts were loss of weight, in crease in pulse rate, low blood pressure, troacr cf outstretched hands and pallor. All the cases recovered after a period of rest. The illnesses most easily con fused with tho "fatigue syndrome" are pulmonary tuberculosis, hypochromic anemia and hyperthyroidism. 36 Gasoline Intoxication. W. llachle. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 1965-1971 {December 6, 1941). This is a comprehensive discussion of gasoline poisoning, including description cf gasoline, etiology, pathology, symptoms and signs, laboratory examination, sequelae, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy, concluding with the following summary: "Gasoline is a mixture having a `widely variable chemical composition, and poison ing from it produces a variable clinical syndrome. The most prominent symptoms and signs arise from the central nervous system and the gastroenteric tract. The epportuniti-:. for expos'ore to gasoline constitute an increasingly important poten tial hazard in industry and tc the community, Pneumonitis, visceral congestion and hemorrhages are the most frequent pathological changes. Chronic intoxication from gasoline is rare. Severe sequelae are uncommon and occur only after sovere intoxication. Thu history of expesuro and estimation of its magnitude are of greatest importance in tho diagnosis. Therapy is general and supportive." industrial. Hygiene -igesi 37 Occupational Injuries. ?:.?. Ferrari. Med. /Clin., 5_6, I0C5-1007, (194C). (Germ) A review is included of recent work in the Italian literature on. dangers to th health of electroweldors and their prevention, asbestesis, silicosis, changes $2 the uppor air passages produced by electron dust, anaphylactic asthma in a raycE factory, caisson disease, nasal injuries produced by chrcmiua, chronic nangane| poisoning, lead in the cicod, 'urine and feces c? normal persons and in lead :x poisoning, toxicity of mercury vapors, fatal poisoning from tetraethyl lead, :c sulfhemegiebiremia after cleaning r.otal fibers impregnated with rubber with warm nitrobenzene, blood diseases from the chronic action of benzene, and poisoning in printing establishments from the action of the f-jr.es of a mixture of benzene end xylene used in cleaning. 33 Cyanogen Poisoning. Brucndlmcior. Budap. Crv. Ujsag. p. 24 (1940).(Hungarian); lied. Klin., 36, 1090 (1940). (Goman). Cyanogen poisonings occ-ur more frequently v.lth the increased use of cyanogen gas for fumigation. Ten per cent of all poisonings are cyanogen poisonings. A case is reported of a b-year-cid boy who was poisoned by cyanogen gas pouring from the windows of a neighboring dwelling into a court. Details of the progress of the poisoning arc giver, and probable effects are discussed. Recovery followed in 5 weeks. (It is not clear from our information whether "cyanogen gas" refers to cyanogen itself or to hydrogen cyanide. At least the factor of 10% must refer to hydrogen cyanide, as it is much more frequently used than cyanogen.) 39 Industrial Exposure to Toxic Chemicals. J.H. Foulger and A.J. Fleeing. J. An. Med. Assoc., 117, 331-636 (September 6, 1941). The authors claim to have demonstrated that the first effects of exposure to toxic substances arc the same, nc matter what the chemical structure of the com pound involved, provided they have systemic effects. The symptoms are: easiness of fatigue, headache, gastro-enteric disturbances, vertigo, precordial pain, pain or tingling in extremities and dyspnea on slight exertion. The first signs of exposure to toxic chemicals are definite chenges in pulse rote and blood pressure. On the basis of this belief the authors have developed a scheme for medical con trol of industrial health, which is described briefly. It begins with a compre hensive proemployr.ent examination used for selection and never for elimination. An equally thorough examination should be made when an employee is transferred to another job cr released from employment. Blood pressure tests are frequently made, especially when symptoms of toxic exposure are present, and a deviation of mere than B'A from normal, is taken as an indication of illness. An elaborate sys tem of scoring, with mathematical charts, is used to determine effects of expo sures, A program of preventive medicine is built up on that basis. The authors minimize the importance of chemical and engineering control. They admit that air analysis is important in determining the mechanical efficiency of operating equip ment and ventilating systems, but believe that the present tendency is to rely too much on air analyses and safe-level concentrations of gases, vapors, fumes cr dusts. In important cases injuries arise from absorption of materials through the skin rather than by inhalation. The unorthodox beliefs and methods of the authors merit further study. The elaborate system of rating and control has apparently been of greet value in their hands, but it will be known whether it is a really valid technic only after it has besn used by many physicians and under varying industrial conditions. 0 Toxicity of Dichlorobenzene. Queries & Minor Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 2C17 (December 6, 1941). It is asked whether there is danger in the use of dichlorobenzene in closets which arc frequently opened, and whether it is carcinogenic. Paradichlorobenzene is extensively used in therapeutics, in agriculture and in preserving clothing, and -_X< Industrial Hygiene Digest - 144 oe it is only recently that its toxic possibilities have become of interest. ?.efey ence is made to the recent work of Berliner (Abstract No. 2-6, March, 1940 Dige^ who found cataracts and serious toxic effects to follow inhalation of paradichiasbenzeae vapor. Confinement in a close space with high concentrations may cause deleterious effects but there is no evidence that occasional short exposures majoa cause 'untoward reactions. When used as a spray, the solvent may be carbon tetra* chloride, benzene, chloroform and carbon disuifide, the dangers cf which are = known. Present kr.cv.'ledge dees r.ot indicate dichicrobenzenc as being a carcino genic agent. A case cf dermatitis from orthodichiorober.zene has been reported (see Abstract No. 76c, October, 193S digest). Although the hazard from the di chlorobenzenes is apparently slight, industrially or otherwise, they might well be watched carefully in view of their chemical constitution and widespread 'use under varying conditions. 41 Changes in the Reactivity of the Body Caused by Hydrogen Sulfide. S.5. Pavlenko. Arch. sci. bici. (U.c.i.R.; 6C, No. 3, 5- 64 (l?4Cj. (Russian). Various coses of hydrogen sulfide (300 mg. per 1. of saline solution) were in jected into the blood stream of rabbits. The effects on blood pressure are pro duced via the vasomotor center. Hydrogen sulfide causes a brief lowering of blood pressure, previously raised by adrenalin, which later returns to the high level. It prolongs the pressor action of adrenalin. Preliminary doses of hydro gen sulfide markedly strengthen the pressor action of subsequently administered adrenalin. Small doses (lcc.) of hydrogen sulfide raise the reactivity of the animal tc subsequent doeos cf potassium chloride. Hydrogen sulfide increases the vagus sensitivity to electrical excitation. Preliminary treatment with hydrogen sulfide of sensitized animals intensifies the anaphylactic shock, and the effect is lethal in more cosoc than in controls. The reaction of vogotative centers to hydrogen sulfido varies according to their initial physiological state. 42 Human life and Death at High Pressures. J.B.S. Haldane. Nature (London) 148. 458-460 (October 18, 1941). The subject is discussed mainly with reference to escape from a submarine, but most of the paper is also of industrial interest. The subjects discussed are: mechanical effects, nitrogen intoxication, carbon dioxide intoxication, o^rgen intoxication, after-effects of carbon dioxide, bubble formation during decompressionjcna cold. Nitrogen is a narcotic at pressures of 10 atmospheres and higher. Argon is mere narcotic than nitrogen, but the higher inert gases hare net been investigated. Helium and hydrogen are not narcotic, but it is probable that they would be sc at 20 atmospheres. Carbon dioxide in the normal percentage in air causes unconsciousness at 10 atmospheres. Oxygen is a conrulsant at 7 atmospheres. Bubble formation is a hazard that has been known for some time. It can be avoided if the decompression is conducted slowly. There is much individ ual variation in the safe speed of decompression. The author regards heliua as of value in avoiding nitrogen intoxication, but is doubtful of its value against "bends." This failure, which is supported by his experience, throws some doubt on current theories cn the cause of "bends." The problem demends a systematic experimental study -with a number of gases. 43 Dark Adaptation end Miner* s Nystagmus. I. Campbell. Brit. Med. J., 2, 72&-727 (November 2, 1941). Night blindness has long been known to be a characteristic symptom of miner's nysta^ius. A series of observations show that in a selected group of minors, a deficiency of vitamin A, as demonstrable by the dark-adaptation test, was present, and by the administration cf vitamin A over a limited period the power of dark adaptation was considerably improved. Industrial Hygiene Digest vo -r- 44 Benzene Hazards to S rkcrs ir. Vulcanizing Shops for Tire Repairing. H. Hur.per-lZ dinck. Lbl. f. Gev/oroehyg. , 23_, 55-66 (1541;. (Gcmaz; . *5 In recent decades many mail ..orkshops fcr tire repairing have opened. (The T author is writing about Germany, but the sane conditions apply here and probably will to s greater extent.. They ore frequently established in unsuitable roensj* and various solvents for the so.ution of rubber are employed. Sore- of the rubbe? solutions contain small ar.runts benzene, and tba.- solvents thomseives often con- toir. as much os 30;.. vonacr.e. The author examined workers fro:., seme of these es tablishments and ffund, especially among those exposed to benzene, several wcTi ers v.-ith a high relative lymphocytosis, positive Rumpcl-lcde symptoms, and com plaints of nervousness tni irritability. He recommends the use of benzine (naphtha, iov;-bciling gasoline; instead of benzene, better ventilation and peri odic medical examinations. 45 studies v.jth Puracho-nyler.odioi.ine in ?ur 'Vomers. M.G. Gilverbcrg and H.He imam, lour. Invest. Tsrm., 4_, 133-203 i 1341). Abctr. from Biol. Abstr., 15., 2019 (November, 1341). Scratch and patch tests v.-ith poraphcnylcncdiamine and related dyes and scratch tests with animal apidormcls v;cro performed on 10 asthmatic fur workers, only one of whom also rave a history of comatitis. Zighty-five fur workers 'without astina, including 10 v.-ith a history of occupational dermatitis, were patch-tested as controls. Glycerinatod protein extracts of fur and danders (horse, cat, muskrat, squirrel, rabbit, racoon, dog, goat, skunk, beaver, sheep) and paraphenylencdior.ine (dissolved in serum and in water in various concentrations) were used for scratch tests. For patch tests 2% paraphonyienediamine in vaseline was used. Scratch tests with paraphonylenediamine in the asthmatics were all nega tive. In 1 of 10 asthmatics, scratch tests with animal epidcimale (cat and bea ver) were positive. Four of the asthmatics, cnly 1 of whom gave a history of dermatitis, reacted by patch test to parapherylenediamine. In the control group 3 of 10 workers with a history of occupational dermatitis reacted to the patch teots with paraphonyienediamine. Nc such positive tests wore found in fur work ers without a history of astiiua or occupational dermatitis. In asthma possibly due to paraphonyienediamine the scratch test gives no evidence of hypersensitivity but a number of asthmatic fur workers without a history of dermatitis react to the pcraphonylcnediamiae patch test. 46 Hypersensitivity to Turpentine and its Substitutes. A. Sciaiidt, Dermatol. Vchnschr., 112, 369-590 (1941)". (German). Turpentine substitutes differ so widely that any test of sensitivity should be made with a sample of the suspected material and not with any laboratory samples. The author found that of 59 persons suffering from eczema with positive reactions for turpentine or its substitutes, 3 reacted positively to turpentine alone, 3 to substitutes alone, but the remaining 53 reacted to both. 47 The Occurrence and Prevention of Occupational Diseases among Women, 1935 tc 1936. II.T. Mcttcrt. U.S.Dept. of labor Women's Bureau, 3ull. No. 184, 1941. Price 10?. The material presentod, derived from agencies of 9 States, gives a fairly good idea of the range of occupational diseasos among women. It is difficult, however, to compare cor.aiticns in the reporting States. Mere days are lost on account of illness by women than by men, ana since their wages are lower, compensation awards to women arc icwor. As among male workers, dermatitis is the commonest industrial disease, and caused by a number of materials. Repetitive motion causes tenosyno vitis, felons and bursitis. Load poisoning is widespread; systemic poisoning due to benzene, radium, hydrofluoric acid, com, dyes and gas futes were reported. Gther discuses reported word chrome ulcerations, silicosi3, asbestosis and heat stroke. Some ,,f the special surveys and studies in single industries are reviewed briefly. As the number cf industrial hygiene units increases, acre data on occu pational disoases of women will be available. Industrial Hygiene li.-est - c. 43 rounds of Prevention. R.E. Helly and L.A. Watt, Monsanto Mag., 22~, 15-19 ,3 (December, 1941). Tie paper is an exposition in a popular style of tie toxicological work conduct by Monsanto Chemical Company on new products so that injury which might ctherwisJS occur nay be prevented. The principal toxicological v/erk f-r the company is pelts formed at various leading universities which arc- mentioned os is also the- work ^ the National Institute of Health. The concluding paragraph is v/orth repeating: "In its toxicological investigations, industry cem^s closer to being roncor.peti-ie tive than in any other phase c? its operations. There is a free exchange of in formation between the workers at DuPont's Haskell Laboratory, the Dev; Chemical Company toxicologists, the I-nrbideand Carbon group at heller. Institute and various other agencies, all of v:hr>m arc working toward a common -one. This end is to ad vance the frontier of cur 'understanding ana to pave the way for bettor use of the products which flow from the research laboratories." 49 Some Common Health Hazards in the electroplating Industry. K.G. Dyktor. Monthly Rev. Am. Electroplutors' Soc,, 27, 597-61C (194C). The health iiazards involved in chromiira plating, solvent deceasing, lacquering, pickling and in polishing operations arc discussed. For safety, the concentration of chronivar. trioxide in the air should bo below 1 mg./10 cu. m. If the chromium plating tanks are ventilated by slots, the air velocity should be at least 1500 feet per min. The risk of silicosis is discussed, and it is concluded that it is slight among metal polishers. 50 Observations on Orthodlchlcrbenzune. K. Riedel. Arch. f. Gewcrbepath., 10, 546-549 (1541). (GormanT The author found orthcdichlcrbonzene to be very irritating to the human skin. Mice, exposed to an atmosphere saturated vath the substance, became excited and died on the following day. Rats died after a few paintings of their abdomens witn it. However, a large dog showed no abnormal results af-^er 2 weeks* exposure where 2 cc. orthodichlcrbenzcno was spread daily for 2 hours. Vapors blown near a flame yielded chlorine and perhaps also phosgene. These results indicate the danger in using orthcdichlorbcn2ene as a solvent, 51 Acute Poisoning from Aniline Cil. G.R. Benton and C.J. LaBarge. Ind. Mod., 10., 556-559 (December, 1541). Commercial aniline oil is a mixture of aniline, toluidine, nitrobenzene and other - benzene derivatives. It is extensively used in manufacturing processes and is often encountered as an active ingredient of shoe dyes, hair dyes, insoluble mark ing ink, lithograph ink, mimeograph ink and floor polishes. Most cases of acute poisoning from aniline oil result from direct absorption through the unbroken skin. Symptoms in sevoro cases include dark blue cyanosis of the skin, a slow bounding pulse, booming heart sounds on auscultation, symptoms of air hunger, sometimes nausea and vomiting, very low blood pressures, and sudden and extreme prostration. Convulsions scmotii-.es occur. The toxic dose cannot bo estimated as thcro is no formula for measuring the index of absorption. Use of alcohol tends to facilitate absorption. Most cases occur as a result of accidental con tact with shoe dyes cr marking inks or the ingestion cf contaminated liquor. A case is reported in detail in which a soldier suffered severe aniline poisoning as the result .f a practical jcko. Three days in an oxygen tent greatly assisted recovery, which was complete in 13 days. The clinical pathological changes may be grouped as follows: (1) the excessive formation of mcthemcglobln with a re sulting cyanosis and anoxemia; (2) the effects cf the anxetiia and of the aniline -and nitrobenzene upon the central nerve us system; and (3) the hemolytic effect of the nitrobenzene upon the cells of the circulating blood. Oxygon therapy and transfusion arc the best f-.rms of treatment. Aniline spots on the skin may bo re moved by Vk acetic acid followed by a lukewarm shower bath. Intravenous fluids, particularly 10# glucose in normal saline, favor the elimination cf aniline and nitrobenzene from the blood stream. Industrial Hygiene Digest - 1 . 52 undulant fever in Packing House Employees. II.Y. City Dept, of Health Quarterly :n Bulletin 9_, ?? (November, 1941;. The report to the Department of Health during 1941 cf four oases of unciul&nt fever among 220 employees :f one cf the large hog-pecking houses was unusual enough to initiate a detailed study cf the exact hazards to which these employees are subject. It v.-as found that after the hogs are slaughtered, they were moved :jj| to the floor bclov; suspended separately on a movable trolley. Cn this floor, the carcasses arc dipped for a period of ton seconds each into a hot rosin solution. They arc then pieced on a table v.-horc the rosin, and with it, the hair is pulled off manually, leaving the hide clean, Ml of the cases occurred in employees en gaged in this specific rosin method cf hair removal. In a similar establish ment employing approximately the same number of workers ''.'here the steam netned of hair removal is being used, no cases have boen reported. Inquiry throughout the country tc determine whether similar experiences with the resin method have been reported indicates that no such hazard has yet been noted, although this method cf hair removal, because of its rapidity and efficiency, is -widely usod, 53 The Resistance of Hats to Nitrochlcrobenzono under Various Conditions of Diet. II. Y.A. Levin and S.M. Dubashir.skoya. 3ull. biol. med. oxptl., U.S.S.R., js, 664-666 (1933,'. (Russian). Rots poisoned by nitrochicrcbcnzenc (mixture cf o and p compounds) were found tc recover to a much greater extent on a meat diet than or. one cf bread. The meat diet reduced the fail in temperature enusad by the poisoning. 54 Is there a Connection 5 ctore an the Benzpyrene Content ana the Carcinogenic Effect of Tor? G. nilcscher <ena others. Schweiz, mod. Wchnschr. 71, 1002-100? (1941). The authors examined the benzpyrene content of gas tax in various Swiss towns. The tors were then purified and their carcinogenic effoct was doterained by paint ing on mice. The investigators then used a statistical method to evaluate the re sults, in order tc overcome the difficulty that many mice die in the long period needed for the experiments. They find a simple, regular relationship between the benzpyrene content and tho carcinogenicity of the tar. 55 Toxicity and Actions of Trimethylene Glycol. W, Van inkle, Jr., J. Pharmacol., 72, 227-232 (1941). The acute ?nd chronic toxicity of trinethylene glycol for rats is about twice that cf propylene glycol. Cats arc more sensitive, and rabbits are less sensitive, than rats. Trimuthyleno glycol showed no glycogenic action in rats. It is quite unsuitable for use as a solvent in food and drug products. 56 Flake Naphthalene and Aural Symptoms. Queries k Minor Notes. J.Am.Med.Assoc., 117, 1222 (October 4. 1541). ^ A case is reported in which on employee packing clothing had hissing noises in his ears, but hoaring was normal. The question whether naphthalene might be respons ible is practically answered in the negative. The only known ill effects have been limited tc manipulation cf naphthalene in the hot or molten states or in high concentrations. Naphthalene has been too widely used in flake fora for any effects such as that described to pass unnoticed. 57 Effects of Synthetic Resins. Queries k Miner Notes. J.Aia.lied.Assoc,, 117, 2013 {December c, 1941). Ar. employee cf a company using Piaskcn melding, compound complains of a dry cough. Bronchitis and ether respiratory inflsomaticns have occurred in hotmolding work, probably or. account of evolution cf forr.aldohydo. Dermatitis is the best known of injurious actions, although cases arc infrequent compared to some othor plastic Industrial Hygiene Digest - 15. <*V. 58 Toxicity of Nitrcpareffins in Paint P.enovers. Queries & Minor Notes. J.Am.MeiJ Assoc., 117, 976 [September~iz, 1541). ~ A paint raaover used by the Air Corps contains 2zr'o nitroethane, the remainder 30- ing ethyl alcohol, ethyl methyl ketene, ethyl formate and toluene. Information on toxicity, especially of the r.itropsraffins is requested. The reply states *gat all the given constituents, except ethyl alcohol, any be harmful under seme tin* cumstanccs. Ethyl formate is rated as a minor shin irritant and no safety limits can be fixed. The conclusions reached by recent investigators on the toxicity of nitroethane, methyl ethyl ketene and toluene arc summarized briefly. 59 Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning and Muscular Atrophy. Queries i Miner Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 13C7 (October 11, 1941). Cnc of throe employees of a dry cleaning establishment who suffered from carbon tetrachloride poisoning and recovered, has developed a classic case of spinal muscular atrophy. There /as ac sensory disturbance and the spinal fluid v.-as nor mal. Information is requested on the possibility that the condition may be the result of the tetrachloride exposure. No similar case can be found on record which can be attributed to carbon tetrachloride, although nervous forms with polyneuritis have followed liver injury from that chemical, and changes in the optic and sciatic nerves have been obsarved in rats and monkeys after prolonged exposure. If all ether possible causes can be excluded and symptoms and signs persist, the possibility of carbon tetrc.chloride exposure being the exciting cause cannot bo excluded although it would be extremely unusual. 60 Some Pharmacological Propertius of the "Tcrgitol" Penetrants. H.F. Smyth, Jr., J. Seaton and L. Fischer. J. Ind. Hyg. & Tex., 23^, 478-483 (December, 1941). "Tergitol" penetrants arc sodium alcohol sulfates of high surface activity which arc- widely used industrially, especially in textile technology, to obtain spread ing and penetration of aqueous solutions. Their toxicity was studied by means of animal experiments. They have only moderate toxicity in single doses, and in the usual effective concentration cf C.C5 to 2?; their acute toxicity is of no Impor tance. A large excess taken by mouth irritates the digestion tract and affects the kidney. In repeated doses the "Tergitols" have slight cumulative action, be ing somewhat more injurious than castilc soap and somewhat less so than sodium lauryl sulfate. Their chief site of attack is the kidney. On the skin and mucous membranes, the action of "Tergitol" is similar to liquid soaps and somewhat less than that of some other wetting agents. 61 Foraaldehyde. Queries h. Minor Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 1834 (November 22, 1941). The inquirer requests elucidation cf some points in the earlier reply entitled "Masks for Protection against Formaldehyde Gas," (Abstract No. 784, September, 1941). Bronchitis and other mucous membrane irritations havo been suspected but never actually proved, to be caused by formaldehyde. As far as can bo determined, if good ventilation exists and if the concentration of formaldehyde does not ex ceed 0.025 mg. per liter or 20 parts per million during the entire work period, the worker will not suffer any harmful effects even though he does not wear pro tective masks. That concentration is higher than can easily be obtained when there is ventilation. Special protective masks arc advised when cleaning out tanks when the ventilation is poor. Paraformaldehyde has the same effect as formaldehyde, sc far as indicated by available information. As regards cutaneous injury, formaldehyde is a strong sensitizing agent, and 5% is usually the upper limit for patch toots. Irritations may vary from extensive vesicular dermatitidos in more sensitive, to dryness, thicknoss and fissuring of the skin in less sensi tive individuals. Industrial Hygiene .izes 62 Health Hazards in Fur Garuer.t Making chops. L.M. McMahon. N.Y. State Dept, cf^ Labor, Ini. 3u_-., 2C_, 299-3CC October, 1941). *3 Nearly all fur garment shops are in tenant factories, and the trade is even acres diversified than the dyeing one dressing industry. The garment sneps covered ih^ the survey employed 5 to 2C`. coepie and hnndlod many hinds of fur. Tks principS preventable hazard is bust, which Is released with hair and fuzz ir. nearly all * tperations, which include cutting, operating (sowing;, finishing, hand or mac hir5s beating, droxuaing, cleaning or blowing, clipring, crashing, combing and stoar. glazing. '!thcr hazards are erasure to dyes in tipping, i.e., brush dyeing the shin, me to oils, naphthalene me paradiciilorbonnene. lanitary conditions in general ar not very good. Recommendations include exhaust ventilation, respir ators, general good housekeeping and cleanliness. A detailed report cf the med ical findings on physical examination will appear later, but it can be said at this point that there is no highor general incidence of disease in fur workers, either in garment making or in dyeing and dressing, than in the industrial popu lation as a ..hole. Inception; m: exposure to ayes and other chemicals causing dermatitis. 63 Investigations of Professional Deafness in Shipyard and machine Factory Laborers. 3. Larocn. Acta Itoloryngci., Supp. 36, 3^225 i1939). (banish). The introduction of pncvsiatic hand-tools has greatly increased the danger of deaf ness, long recognized among boiler makers and riveters. The deafness is associat ed with degeneration of the organ of Ccrti and a decrease of the number cf ganglion cells in the spiral ganglion. Such changes have been produced experimentally in animals. A group of 123 boiler makers who wore not subject to other causes of deafness uc.s studied. Ixtcnt and degree cf deafness increased with advancing age. The outstanding foeture of the deafness was reduction of hearing for whisper, but other impairments wore present in advanced cases. Improvement was noted in hear ing for whisper, after periods of unemployment, even, for one day. Suppurations were not found to exert much influence cn the dogroe of doafness. Bone conduction of vibrations can play un important auxiliiary part in causing deafness. As re gards prevention, ear-plugs and the like crc of little value; reduction in noise is the only remedy. The degree of invalidity found due to the deafness was slight. 64 Zinc and Zinc Oxide. National Safety Council. Industrial Data Shoet No. DJiol2. Nat. Safety News 44 , 36-40- (August, 1941). The principal hazard of zinc and its oxides is metal fume fever. Another problem is fire and explosion if powdered zinc comes in contact with water or acids. Der matitis from zinc chloride is else a possibility. The symptoms of metal feme fever, most common in brass foundry work, arc feeling of general illnoss, extreme fatigue, severe thirst, log pains, congestion in the head, dryness and tickling of the throat and respiratory passages, and cough. In severe cases there may be chills and a fever up to 104F, nausea :nd vomiting. The disease is not a metal poisoning but the result of dehydration of superficial colls and the absorption of proteins from the dead colls. There is no known fom of chronic zinc poison ing. Metal furze fever may also bo caused by, finely divided copper, manganese and magnesium. Home workers acquire a considerable degree of immunity. Although the disease is transitory, the possibility of poisoning by lead, arsenic, etc., that nay bo present as impurities, calls for the usual precautions against hazard ous furzes., including local exhaust systems and general cleanliness. 65 Spinal Cord and Peripheral Nervous System in Chronic Manganese Poisoning. A Con tribution to thy Pathclcyacal Anatomy of Lon-;r.nosc Poisoning. H. Voss. Arch.f. Gcwcrbepath., 1G_, 066-066 ;19**iT! (German) The author discusses animal experiments and four cases that have cono to autopsy, in their bearing or. the o.uestion cf the effect of manganese poisoning on the ner vous system. The results fr-m the snail number of cases are inconclusive, and 'yy. Industrial Hygiene Digest - c. . further research is necessary. There may be a relation between manganese poison** ing and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. *3 6 6 hesnhorus { hite) . National Safety Council, .ndustna 39. Nat. Safety Nev;s 43_, 92,34 October, 1=41,. The hazards of exposure to phcstr.orus are dermatitis or i*z. D---rem.':3s i K.,-, s due t: :s c:nu= tact cf phosphorus ..ith the shir., and necrosis cf the j awbene ar.d general bcr.e * char. :cs due to respiration of the furies. There is also the r.azari of acute oci- sor.ing if phosphorus is ingested. '''hits (commercially called yellow, phosphorus is one of the more serious industrial poisons. Its use in match manufacture has oensca, but it is used in metallurgy and the manufacture of phosphoric acid, chosphcresccnt paint, incendiary projectiles and smoke serc-en shells. Phosphorus in contact with the skin sets up locally a painful lesion that heal3 very slowly. In acute poisoning, onset is slow, and characteristic symptoms arc garlic-like t-rtc, pain in tr.c abdominal region, nausea, vomiting, hemorrhages and 'hiccoughs. The v cmi t us i s bl ack with a garlic odor and may be phosphorescent. There is usual iy a suubbssidenncee of syymptoms followed by relapse, after which recovery or death. na y tok -- vr.1-- ace. Chronic poisoning nay produce similar symptoms, with loss ot ap pet i shortnoess cf breath, soreness ir. threat and increased susceptibility to br hial disc asco. HHeowever, necrosis of the jawbone or "phossy jaw" nay be also pro c ent. Individuoails -.ith sound teeth are about 1/3 lesslikely to contract this dis 0 esc. Pr evention ;lvcs cleanliness, not eating, or chewing near phosphorus, physical examinations, exhaust systems and respirators. Phosphorus must always be stored -under -water, and fireproof construction, is necessary. First aid measures include shower baths or other quick washing for skin or eye contacts. Coses of poisoning from ingested phosphorus are rare in industry, but if phos phorus is swallowed, a physician should be called, vomiting should be induced, copper sulfate (2 grams in 100 cc.) and largo quantities of water and 5 to 10 cc, of oxidized turpentine should be given -- not milk or white of egg. 67 Factcry Smoko Containing Manganese as Predisposing Cause in Epidemics of Pneumonia 5in on Industrial District. . listed. Nerdisk Med., 3, 2527-2533 (1939). The author presents some preliminary results of his researches into the pneumonia conditions in a Norwegian industrial district. While the district in earlier days was noted for its healthful climate with only rare cases of pneumonic, it has during the past 15 years, since the beginning of the industrial activity, had a pneumonic morbidity 4 times as largo as that of the whole country and a mortal ity 3 tines as largo. The situation cannot be explained in relation to the social end climatic conditions existing. The bacteriological stato, as to the type of pneumococcus, shows nothing unusual. A prophylactic vaccination, started in 1940, has so far not been able to check the epidemics. The industrial products cf the place are alloys of manganese produced by electrical molting. This operation gives off a considerable amount of smoke. The smoke contains manganese; an anal ysis of lung tissue from dissected individuals shows a considerable increase in manganese content. $8 Thallium Poisoning. * Oisnitrescu-Uante and Ciorapciu. Bull. Soc. mod. hop, 3ukarcst, V; (Roumanian); Med. Klin., 36, 1191 (1940). (German). In addition to the weii-known symptoms of thallium poisoning (polyneuritis, less cf hair, folliculitis, etc.;, a series of symptoms originating from the vegetative nervous system are described: sweating in the lumbar region, dryness in the aiouth with constant sensation of thirst duo to inhibition of the activity of the salivary glands, sinus tachycardia through va^us stimulation, increase in blood pressure, transitory ansoccria .nd pain in the eyeball, us well as transitory siyns of spasmophilia. Ail .symptoms disappeared after injection of vitamin Bq, potassium iodide and sodium thiosulfate. Industrial Hygiene Direct - 11. H -uB 1047 b 69 Neurasthenia from Meraury ;,~:xic Sncechalcpathla or Neurosis)? H. Steck. Rev. aud. de la Duisso rom. 66, 649-555 (1940). The author has observed about 40 cases ot neurasthenia following mercury poison ing, over a period of 1C years or aero, and is convinced that the illness is caused by mercury. The chief symptoms arc great fatigue, great r.uscular v.-caknc especially in the logs, enervation, but first of ail pronounced irritability, vhieh r.ay develop te the point of maniacal attacks. Intolerance to alcohol, erethism, mercurial tremor, and Parkinsonism often appear, Deposits of mercury may ho mobilized by ether poisoning or by infection; in such cases mercury appears in the 'urine. 76 Toxicity of Crally Ingested Tungsten Compounds in the Pat. F.W. hicard and 6. Van de Prve. 6. Pharmacol., 72, 19C-2C1 (1941). When added to the diets cf young rats, tungstic oxide and amcnitaa puratungstate having an equivalent of C.5%- tungsten, caused the death of 6C and of the rats, respectively. Higher concentrations produced correspondingly higher mortality. Os 71 lexicology of Selenium. VI. effects of Subacute Extra-sure to Hydrogen Selsnide. H.C. Tudley and J~.'A'. Miller. J~.Ind.Hyg. & Tox., 23, 470-477 (Dccanbcr, 1941). After a description of a new sampling device made nocossary by the longer expo sures, the author reports a study of the effects on guinea pigs of single expo sures to hydrogen selenide for 2, 4, and 8 hours. For single 8-hour exposures a concentration of 6.0C1 to 0.004 mg. hydrogen selenide per liter produced death in 50 of the animal3 so exposed. In man a concentration of 0.005 mg. per liter is intolerable, producing eye and nasal irritation. At 0.001 mg. per liter no eye or nasal irritation is produced in man, although olfactory fatigue is so rapid that the odor quickly disappears. Pathological findings indicate that the initial pulmonary irritation of exposure to low concentrations of hydrogen sele nide is sufficiently damaging to cause pneumonitis, which may persist in a sub acute form. The early liver damage (fatty metamorphosis) subsides, while the spleen changes progress to a remarkable degree, 72 Acuto Lead Poisoning. An Experimental Contribution to tho Question of the Tox icity of Lead Compounds by Quantitative Experiments. G. Tartler. Arch. f. Hyg,, 125. 273-292 (1941). The author poisoned guinea pigs by oral dosas of lead compounds increased daily in such a way that death occurred after 4^ days when the most poisonous was used. If the minimum lethal dose is taken as a measure, the following decreasing scale of toxicity was established; lead nitrate, chloride, lactate, red lead, oleate, carbonate, stearate, sulfide and sulfate. Lead phosphate was found to be nonpcisonous. In poisoning from lead carbonate, extremely severe cramps were the dominating symptom. Examination of the organs showed that the lead content of the whole brain of poisoned animals never exceeded the normal (10 gamma), oven when doath occurred. The lead content of the liver increased quickly and marked ly, while that of tho bones increased much more slowly and with greater individ ual variations. 73 Manganese. F.L. Smith, 2nd and T.K. Ratbnell. The Cyclopedia of Modicino Surgery, and Specialties. F.A. Davis Co., Philadelphia, Pa. (1939). A review covering physiological action, pathology, and toxicity of various com pounds. Pharmaceutical preparations and dosage are included. 74 Production of Tumors by Tobacco Tars. C.M.Flory. Cancer Res., 262-276 (1941). Groups of rabbits were painted on the ears with three tobacco tars, one produced by the destructive distillation cf tobacco at 35C-7C0C., anothor produced simi larly at 130-350, and the other obtained by sacking tobacco in pipes. "With each of the tars, tumors were produced in all or nearly all the rabbits. Mice were found less sensitive. H H u 8 -8 tii0 fi/6 Ind-strial l-^-eiene Digest - Id. 73 Inychla and Dematitis in v.crker with Dleanir.a Fluids. Queries a. Minor Notes. T. Am. lied. Assoc., ,,17, 2262 (Doosaber 2C, 1341;. cce of onychia, most severe on the thumbs, associated with a rash cn the han is described. The patient had formerly handled a solvent used in the cleaning business. After the dermatitis occurred, he was careful net to r:.e in contact vith the solvent, and his conoiticn improved. The ouceticn was whether inhala tion of the fur.os would keep the inflammatory process active. In the reply the action of such solvents is described, and it is agreed that onychia, *. nail change of - dystrophic type, oft.r. arises from dermatitis, and apparently expo sure to the solvent was a factor. The possibility of fungous infection is rise suggested. Preventive end prot-etive treatment is recommended. Inhalation of the solvent does not cause such a condition. 76 Epidermophytia Intcrcigitalis ir, Miners. C.Carrie and .1. Dantcpf. Format, 'chns'hr. lid, 615-321 (1941). ' German;. Statistics or. th. fungus disease epidermophytia arc presented. Its incidence is rather high among miners; the authors found 33>c of underground mine workers affected in a particular German mining district. A percentage of 57,1 has been reported among workers in a Japanese spinning mill. The workers pay no attention tc the skin affection, which the authors beliovo to be caused by the moist and hot mine atmosphere. 77 onycholysis in Fur Workers. H. Heimcnr. and 14.G. Silverbcrg. Arch. Derm. & Syph. , 44, 426-42c (Scptunoer, 1341). Cnychoiysis consists of a separation of the r.ail from the nail bed aau its ulti mate lots, vith regrevth of ~ new nail, which may also become involved. It is generally considered rare, but.in a study of the fur industry recently completed by the Division of Industrial Hygiene of the New York State Department of Labor, the disease was found in 70 of 91 fur flashers. Erosion of nail plates was also scon in some workers. There was no complaint of pain or discomfort except after returning tc work after an absence. The condition is not disabling but is dis figuring. No relation v.-os found between the degree of onycholysis and the length -f continuous employment. None had an infection of the finger nails cr dermatitis. 6f the 70, 32 had mere than 3 fingers affected. Prevention is dependent on the use of tools instead of finger nails in removing the ccriian from the fur pelt. Gloves aro not feasible for tils work because they materially impair efficiency. The disease occurs in seme other industries and may be caused by constant wetting cf the hands in brine end by mechanical trauma. 78 Treatment of Skin Injuries from Hydrofluoric Acid. F. Flury. Dracgcr-Hefte, No. 206, 4393 ' (1940). I German;. The treatments recommended arc long-continued washing v.lth much water followed by repeated rubbing with magnesia-glycerol paste. In severe cases the Injection of 10> solutions of calcium gluconate is recommended. All cases should receive the usual medical aftor-treatments. The nature end mechanism of hydrofluoric acid burns are described. 79 Phenyl Mercuric vlcr.to. Skin Irritant Properties. C.P. McCord, S.F. Meek and T.A. Neal. T. lad. Hyg. k Tax., 23^ 466-469 (December, 1941). A laboratory investigation cf the skin irritating properties of phenyl mercuric clcate, an industrially used wood preserving egent, indicated its capacity to produce skin irritation in both human beings and animals, below, at, and abovo the industrially used level of C.25*. 56 Dermatitis from "Pic-a-Poo." Queries k Minor Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 15c (July 12, 1941) . A skin eruption after use of a paint cleaner called "Dic-a-Dco," is attributed largely to its alkaline constituents, trisodiua phosphate and sodium carbonate. Industrial Hygiene Digest - 31 Trauma and Cutaneous lancer. C.L. Levin and K.D. nermann. Inc. Med., 10., w 519*525 (December, 1941). S The author reviews the subject of cutaneous cancer, especially in its industrial aspects and its relation to trauma. There arc few types of cancer that do nctjS show a relationship to some fern of pre-existing trauma. Wket.ier malignancy cj^ occur following a single- injury to a part is a debatable subject but a very impor tant one legally. There has been no increase in cancer attributable to industry as a v/hcle, but an increase has occurred among those working Mth ter, petroleum, radium and derivatives. After presenting the history of experimental cancer, the authors list injuries that nay result in cancer: (i) physical, including heat, light, electricity, roentgen rays and radium; (2) mechanical, including friction, pressure and cirect injury; (3) chemicals, especially carbon disulfide, arsenic compounds, soct, coal tar, and petroleum. Cancer free: the first two chemicals is rare. The composition cf tar and petroleum in relation to cancer is discussed, tho principal carcinogenic constituents of tar being iibenzanthracene, benzccyri- iine and pyridine, and of potrolcum the aromatic-hydrocarbons. All these causes v..ry in their effect on individuals, and the factors of age and immunity must be taken into account. The medico-legal aspects are discussed briefly, regarding accidental injury as a cause of cancer and injury aggravating and accelerating cancer, both cf which are recognized legally. Among preventive measures the most important is cleanliness. Protective ointments are cf value, rre-empioyment ex aminations should exciude these with a history of skin or allergic conditions. Curative treatment must begin early and depends cn the type of cancer. Cleansing measures, bland local remedies, change cf occupation, roentgenotherapy and radical therapy have their places according to tho severity of the disease. S2 A Comparison of the Carcinogenic Zffects of Tobacco Tor and Coal Tar. A.H.Roffc, 3ol. Inst. Med. Exp., (Buoncs Ayrc3). 17., 6S9-730 (1940). (Spanish). Coal tar and tobacco tar, painted on the ears of rabbits, produce similar cancer ous lesions, with a difference consisting only in the greater activity, and there fore groator malignancy, of those produced by tobacco tar. 83 Dermatitis Vcnonatc, Due to Nail Lacaucr. E.D. Osborne, J.W. Jordon and P.C, Campbell. Arch. Derm. &. Svphilol., 44, 604-615 (October, 1941). Nall lacquers are highly complex mixtures containing many ingredients which arc potentially eczamntizing. Similar lacquers are widely used in industry and arc applied to the surface of many objects in common usage. Their importance as eczcmatizing ngonts should not be overlooked. Dermatitis due to nail lacquer i3 common and will probably become more so, especially in men Nail lacquers are the most froquent cause of dermatitis about the eyelids in women and should be considered as possible causes of dermatitis of the face, neck, cheeks, ears, car canals, shoulders, chest and lips. In all cases of dermatitis of obscure causa tion nail lacquer should be suspected and eliminated. This form cf dermatitis is usually of a patchy crythcmntosqucmous (rod and scaly) variety. Macroscopic vesicuiaticn (visible pimples) is the exception rather than the rule. Patch tests in cases of dermatitis due to nail lacquer arc of doubtful value. They should not supplant careful clinical observation. 84 Experimental Phosgene Poisoning. E. Rcthlin. Reported in letter from Switzer land. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 1638-1639 (November 8, 1941). In experiments on rats the author found that in phosgene poisoning calcium ther apy must be instituted and calcium must be given in large doses. Earlier investi gators considered the lungs a barrier to phosgene, but tho present experiments do net support this idea, A component of tho central nervous system must be assumed to be the cause of pulmonary edema as well as a pulmonary reflex with the vagus and the sympathetic. The experiments also indicate that phosgene is not as easily neutralized in water as was formerly held. nWflB-uu iiM /8 Industrial Hygiene Digea l So Dermatitis from Cutting 111s. L. Dchwortz. Pub. Health r.epts., 56, 1947-1952 (October 3, 1941;. The composition of cutting oils, their action or. the skin, types of dermatitis, prevention, differential diagnosis and treatment are briefly discussed. The ac tion of the oils on the skin includes defatting, clogging the pores, and sensiti nation by rancid vegetable or animal oils, phenols, crcscis and nitrobenzene, uteel slivers in used oils may v/cund the skin. Folliculitis and other infective dermatoses arc efc.r. the result of exposure to cutting oils, tut the author be lieves that the bacteria responsible cone from the skin, not from the oil. Pathcgcr.ic bacteria do not grow in most cutting oils. Some r.ir.cr&i oils produce kera tosis, and a few cases of skin cancer in the United States have been caused by mineral oils. .*iiiergic coze:,.as arc the least frequent types of cutting oil der matitis, ana arc caused by hypersensitivity to the animal or vegetable oil or in hibitor, or by allergy induced by the disinfectant vvhich is added when the oil ..econes rancid, dermatitis may also bo caused by harsh soaps, bleaches and sol vents used in washing hands after work. Cleanliness is the most important item in prevention; protective ointments are desirable but are of secondary importance. Workers using cutting oils should be instructed in the hazards. Cutting oil . folliculitis and coils must bo distinguished from similar disturbances of non-occu- petiend origin. They are treated by cleanliness and antiseptics. Allergic types arc best handled by removing the affected worker. Antiseptic lotions should be used for the moist typos of dermatitis and ointments for the dry, chronic types. 85 Fulminate of Mercury. National Safety Council. Industrial Data Sheet D-Choc.40. Nat. Safety News 44_, 38, (December, 1941). In the manufacture of fulminate of mercury, the prinicpal hazards are the possi bility of nitric acid burns, mercury poisoning, dermatitis, fire, explosion, and possible illness from the fulminate cf mercury. During the manufacture of per cussion caps, the hazards are domatitis, systemic poisoning, fire and explosion. The processes cf making the fulminate and the caps are described. Fulminate workers have shown local symptoms cf the skin, constitutional disorders such as inflammation of the meuth (stomatitis), hcadccho, nerve troubles, and blackening and brittleness of teeth. The systemic effects are those generally caused by mercury. Prctectiva measures include good housekeeping and cleanliness, no dry < sweeping, ventilation, protective clothing, powder uniforms, and removal of affected workers. Precautions against fire and explosion must be observed. 3 7 The P.eiaticr, Between the Chemical Composition of War Gases and Their Physiological Action. S. wiediing. Svonska Leekartidn. No. 51, 6 pp. (1940). The irritating powers of tear gases increase v.lth the atomic weights of the halo gen used, but the toxicity values ere in the reverse order. Increasing the num ber of halogen atoms already present in a molecule decreases the tear potency end increases the toxicity of sora<j tear gases. Examples of each case are given, and a list of 9 war gases containing arsenic is included. Mono-and dichlorofozmoxines are so-called "nettle gases." Thay arc extremely effective lachrymatory gases, frequently causing blindness. 38 Investigations of Poisoning by Trotyl, Totryl and Fulminating Mercury Among Work ers in the Munition Factories of Finland, L.Noro. Acta med. Scandinav., Supp. No. 20, 95 pp'. (1941) . The cuthcr reviews the literature and experience of the first World War and then reports on his own investigations after the Finr.ish-Rus3ian war, involving over 500 workers in munitions plants. In general the symptoms were the same, whether the exposure was to trotyl (TUT), tetryi (tetranitromethylaniline) or fulminating mercury. Skin disennas v:ore common, especially in the early history of exposure. After a longer period, loss of weight, fatigue and headache appeared. Anemia was present in 1C9 persons, mostly in a slight degree. Illnesses and complaints were less numerous in a well equipped factory. Industrial Hygiene digest 59 ihe T.N.T. Health Hazard. H.M. Heberts. Brit. Med. J., 2_, 547-649 (November 1941) _ The manufacturing process and forms of T.N.T. (trinitrotoluol) are briefly desl?> cribed. Exposure may consist of (1) inhalation of fume, (2) inhalation of dus*1 with subsequent ingestion, and (3) skin absorption. Signs of absorption ir.cluda staining of the skin, pallor, color of the- lips, not blue as in cyanosis, but rather lilac. Among symptoms of poisoning are jaundice, nausea and headache, and constriction below the sternum. References are given tc fuller deocription of symptoms, pathology anc treatment. A :cr controx the hazard includes: (1) selection of workers; (2) record of physical condition on entry; (3) reccrc of sick absences; (4) periodic examination for signs of T.N.T. absorption; \z) record of T.N.T. strains in grades; (5) cooperation with the plant chemist in carrying out the V.'cbstcr test; (7) arrangements with foremen and supervisors t; coll attention to possible cases; insistence leanliness and protective clothing; (9) ether work :so that must be laid off. Each point is discussed, 90 Clinical Manifestations of Tctryl and Trinitrotoluene. J. Hilton and C.V. cvrannton. Brit. Med. J., _, 5C9-51C U-ctcbcr 11, 1941). Beth materials stain the skin a deep orange, but the staining has no relation to toxicity. New workers complain of tingling of the nose and sneezing, which pass es off with -exposure. Dermatitis is common with tctryl workers, smarting as erythema followed by a papular eruption accompanied by exfoliation. The face is particularly affected with gross edema of the eyelids, but other parts may also be concerned. Constitutional symptoms are rare but epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting sometimes occur. Removal from exposure is followed by recovery, after which immunity is established, and exposure may be resumed without trouble. Cn the other hand, T.N.T. is highly toxic, in addition to causing dermatitis. The latter nay appear in the form of a sago-grain eruption, for instance between the fingers. Desquamation may be severe with complete exfoliation of hands and feet. Irritation is intense. T.N.T. reacts with hemoglobin to fom nethenoglobin and nitric oxide hemoglobin; hence cyanosis -with grayish-mauve lips, tongue and mucous membranes. Toxic gastritis may develop, with epigastric pain, nausea, anorexia, and constipation; such cases should be permanently removed from contact with T.N.T. Hare late end 'usually fatal complications are jaundice and aplastic anemia. With reasonable care all these affects may be avoided. 91 Ozone la Ventilation and Air Conditioning. J.A. Robinson. Heat., Pip., & Air Cond., 13, 759-760 (December, 1941). The author describes, with illustrations, an ozonator in which only corona dis charge is used, according to the method advocated by Thorp (Abstract No.92, this digest), and v.'hich produces ozone free from oxides of nitrogen. The author reports three cases in which he ciaias that industrial odor problems have boon solved by the use of this ozonator and that the odors have been destroyed and net merely masked. 92 Influence of Nitrogen Oxides on the Toxicity of Ozone. C.E. Thorp. News Ed. (Am. Chem. ooc.) 19 , 63 6-Goo (June 25, 1941). Ozone produced by the common nctai-glass-mctal type of ozonizer using a brush-type discharge contains 47^ nitrogen oxides. An ozonizer using a phenol-formaldehyde plastic as tho dielectric produced ozone containing no nitrogen oxides. Physio logical tests v/ere made on humans, field mice, B.ccli aeregenes, flour weevils and green algae. 93 Influence of Nitrogen Oxides ~n tho Toxicity of Czone. A.W. Ewell. News Ed. (Am._'chen. See.) 19_, 1102 (-October 10, 1941). The author's criticism of Thorp's paper, (Abstract No. 92, this digest) and the latter's reply immediately following, deal with a number of points but do not HwtitM Kjiii'iSii Industrial Hygiene Digest - 6. throw light on the question '..nether ozone, ..1th cr without oxides of nitrogen present, has sufficient sierili-atioa value except at concentrations it which it is potentially injurious, or it least disagreeable, to human beings. 94 Occupational Toittotitis. ?. 1. Gostincau. J. Indians. State Acd, Assoc., 34, 134-157 (1941). A discussion of dc-r.:.o.titio, especially occupational dermatitis in Indiana. Oases of dermatitis caused by nail pclisJi, mercury end che new mercury compounds, picric acid, cinnamon and ehoeol'te, Brazil nuts, lacquer, chronic acid and red rubber ore described. ------------------------------------------------------------------ n Methods of detection and Tetcminotion j 95 Determination of Lead in Biological Material. b. Pclarograchic Method. J.Choiek and K. Barlach. Ir.d. Zng. Chcm., Anal. Ed., 13, 533-586 (August, i941). d=h A polarographic method is described for the estimation of load in biological material, based on electrolytic isolation and concentration of lead, followed by stripping into very small volumes of solution. Two methods of concentration are presented: (1) a purely electrolytic technic, and (2) an initial dithizena con centration, followed by electrolytic concentration when very small quantities of lead are present. An adaptation from spectrographic analysis of the internal standard principle permits the deviation of stable working curves, which are not affected by variations in temperature, drop size or rate, viscosity or composi tion of the solution to be polarized, or by changes in the recorder sensitivity used. The accuracy and practical sensitivity of the method approach those of the spectrographic and ditluzcne methods. 96 Applications of the Spectrograph to Tcxicolorical Investigations. C.W, Rankin. 3. Optical Soc. Am., 31_, 644- 647 (1941). The spectrograph has long proved its value in forensics involving bullet traces, paint analysis, etc., but its applicability to the study of metallic traces where much organic ucteriul is present, i.e. to toxicological investigations, has rare ly been tested. Toxicological cases are described in which animal tissues, etc., ore successfully analyzed for arsenic, lead, barium, phosphorus or mercury by spectrographic methods. 97 An Aid in the Dithlzor.c Method. A Mechanical Shaker for Separating funnels. L.R. Crisp and S.H. Webster. 3. Bab. and Clin. Med., 27, 269-270~(November, 1941). A mechanical shaker which expedites analysis and provides more uniformly vigorous shaking in dlthizone tests for load is described. 93 The Determination of Load in Biological Materials. F.L, Smith, 2nd and others. Am. 3. Clio. Path., li_, 653- 668 (August, 1941). In this paper the authors correlate their earlier work and include rocent changes in the ditr.izone procedure for l<_ad in blood, spinal fluid, urine, tissue and oones. Reagents, cleaning procedures, specimen collection and load determination are described. Th~ metoed consists essentially of a wet digestion of the sample, extraction with aithizone and a titriraetric and point. The superiority of wet digestion, in the authors' opinion, lies principally in the time required for com plete oxidation. nfcuiN Q oiiw S i Industrial Hygiene Digest - 27. 39 The Significance of Urinary Mercury. I. Occupational Mercury Exposure. II. Mercury Absorption from Mercury-Searing Dental Hillings and Antiseptics. E.D. Storlazzi and H.3. Elkins. J.Ind.Hyg. k Tex. , 2_3, 459-415 !December, 1341 A modification of Stock1 s method for the determination of mercury in -urine is described. The concentrations of mercury found in the urine of workers in var ious occupations -with mercury exposure were measured and positive results were obtained in nearly all cases. The ratio cf urinary to atmospheric mercury (the former being expressed in milligrams per liter and the latter m milligrams per 10 cubic meters) was found tc be about 0.26. Mercury was found in the -urine cf certain persons several months after their exposure had ended. Mercury may be found in the urine of persons with rocent amalgam dental fillings or of those who have recently had mercurial antiseptic applied tc the skin. After 10 days the urine is -usually practically free of mercury. The amounts absorbed arc- toe small tc cause poisoning. 100 Bacteriological Air Analysis by the Cloud-Chamber Method. S.D. Elliott. Lancet 241. 514 (November 1, 1941). " ~~ The method was developed in order tc obtain bacteria in a liquid medium rather than dry as in customary methods. The essential features are the trapping of suspended particles by drawing the sample through a water-vapor mist, and the condensation cf water on any particles loft in suspension by cooling the satur ated air. This method indicated a fairly high degree of atmospheric pollution after spraying tho air of a room, in contrast tc the settling plate method which gave very low values after spraying. 101 Determination of Benzene in the Air of Industrial Plants. M.V. Alekseeva. Okhrana Truda No.8, 38 (X939j. (Russian)T Chan. Absts. 35, 6537 {October 10,1941). Checking cf the colorimetric method of Stepanow resulted in the development of a modified procedure, which is given in sufficient detail in the Chemical Abstracts reference. 102 Determination of the Vapors of Organic Compounds in the Air by the Combustion Method. S.L. Ginzburg. Lab.Prakt. (U.S.S.R.) 16. No. 3. 23-27 (194l). The air to be tested is forced from a gas pipette into a quartz or porcelain com bustion tube, 2.5 - 9.C am. in diameter, by means of a stream of hot air rather than by the hydrostatic pressure of sodixaa chloride solution. The tube contains a platinum spiral to serve as catalyst. Tho contont of organic compounds in the air is determined from the carbon dioxide femed by combustion, which is absorb ed in a measured volune of standard barium hydroxide solution and the excess is determined by titration with acid to a phenolphthalein and point. Eight refer ences. 103 Determination of Carbon Monoxide with Iodine Pentoxide. R. Eattwinkel. Glueckauf. 77, 22-23(1941). (German). An improvement on the apparatus of Winter and Brauimann is described in which the gas is passed through the iodine pentoxide instead of over it and an aluainum-block oven is substituted for the oil bath. A tube of NCT3 steel is used in ploco of a quartz combustion tube for holding the copper oxide. 104 New Method of Determining Dlchloroethane Vapors in the Air. P.I, Bogatkov. Zavodskaya Lab. 10,~~319Ti941). (Russian). Chen. Absts. ~35, 7318 (November 10, 1941). The method is based on the reaction between dlchloroethane (ethylene dichloride) and manganese dioxide, which procoods quantitatively at 300C. Pull directions arc given in the Chemical Abstracts reference. Industrial Hygiene Digest - 6. (NJ e 105 Development of* a Method for the Determination of Small Amounts of Naphthalene :s in Air. V.V. Dobrovolskaya. lab. Preset. (U.S.S.H.) Sammelband 90-97 ( 1939). The air is passed through a nitrating mixture at a rate not exceeding 10 1. pe hour. This absorbing mixture is poured into water and the deposited trirutrc-tc naphthalene is dissolved in ether. The residue loft from the evaporation of this ether solution is dissolved in boiling water and the solution is transfer red to a tube for colorimetric comparison. One cc. of a solution of 5 drops of v.2$ methyl red corresponds in color to C.QC5 mg. of trinitronaphthaiene. The changes in the standard solutions -within 5 and 10 minutes are tabulated. 106 Colorimetric Method for Determining Small Quantities of Pyridine in Air. R.P. Daroga and A.G. Pollard. I.Soc.Chem.Ind., 50, 207.210 (July, 1941). Cham. Absts., 35_, 0363, (November 20, 1941). The proposed method was developed for the p'urpcse of determining small quantities of pyridine in an air current and in moist soil. After a study of existing methods, an adaptation of Sutherland, Daroga and Pollards method for determining nicotine was worked out. Furl details are given in the Chemical Abstracts refer ence. 107 A Slit Sampler for Collecting and Counting Air-Bomo 3acteria. R.B. Bourdilion and others. J. Hyg., 41, 197-224 (September. 1941). ~' The authors have adopted the principle of the Owens jet dust counter in design ing their sampling device. Air is drawn through a slit 0.25 mm. wide, 27.5 mm. long and 3 mm. deep onto tho surface of agar or other culture medivsa contained in a Petri dish placed just below the slit. Tho Petri dish is slowly rotated during sampling, either by hand or mechanically in such a way that the bacteria are deposited in an annular ring leaving a clear space of 18 am. diameter in tho center. The method is very rapid and simple, and it has appeared to be more efficient than other methods against which it has been tested. The finest bac- teria-carrying particles are collected almost as efficiently as coarser ones. Petri-dishes in open air collect the larger particles 200 times as efficiently as the single washed bacteria. 108 Colorimetric Method for the Determination of Minute Quantities of Carbon Tetra chloride and Chloroform in Air and Soil. R.P. Daroga and A.G. Pollard. J.Chcm. Ind., 60, 218-222 (August, 1941). Tho Fujiwara pyridine tc3t for chloroform has been modified and applied to the determination of carbon tetrachloride. In the determination of carbon tetra chloride in air the vapor is absorbed in 50 cc. of acetone in a fritted bubbler at 1 liter per min. An aliquot portion of this solution is added to 20 cc. of pyridine and 10 cc. of 20$ sodium hydroxide, and the mixture is immersed in a boiling water bath and constantly shaken for 5 minutes. After cooling 2 min utes the pyridine layer is separated and its color is read. The color is stable for several hours if the sodium hydroxide layer is separated from the pyridine. The color is much stronger v;hen acetone is used for absorption than when ethyl alcohol is used. The quantities of carbon tetrachloride measured ranged from 0.03 tc 0.5 mg. Chloroform is absorbed in 0.05 normal hydrochloric acid, but the rest of the procedure was the same as for carbon tetrachloride. The deter mination of these substances in soil is also described. 109 Determination of Small Quantities of Nitrogen Oxides. V.V. Dobrovolskaya. Lab. Prakt. (U.S.S.H.) Samr.olband. pp. 93-95 (1939). Tho content of oxides of nitrogen in tho air can be determined as follows: draw the air through 2 wash bottles containing soiiun hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide. After the absorption, boat v.ith zinc dust or Dcvarda's alloy, absorb the liber ated ammonia in acid and measure the color produced with Kessler's reagent. nHBH-' ittii0 < i8 3 Industrial Hygiene Digest - 29 An. Apparatus for Continuously Measuring and Recording Hydrogen Sulfide and larbc Disulfide in Atmosphere. h.I. Ttackiruse and S. Reynolds. safety Practice Full. .<o 29. Penaa. Dept, of Later &, Industry, c ro. (November, 1941). The hr.yydrogen sulfide recorder consists essentially of three parts.- (1! a sail ing and absorption system with a reagent; (2) a photoelectric colcrir.eter with its electrical system; and (3) -a potentiometer chart recorder. The range of the apparatus may ba varied tc 3'uit the application. A tentative range cf C tc 3 p.p.n. has been used for purified distribution gas. 'The recorder will respond tc concentration changes cf .0 . ,-B :.r.. The- reagent develops blue-green shades in presence of hydrogen sulfide and is specific fer that substance. The inten sity is proportional to the concentration, and the color is ir. the range where the photoelectric coils are roost sensitive. The recorder is calibrated by use of color standards made by adding known amounts of a hydrogen sulfide standard solution to definite quantities cf the reagent. A number of industrial applica tions arc mentioned. Details cf carbon disulfide determinations arc not given. ill The electron Microscope. J. Miiiier and H.E. Rhea. Safe Practice Bull., No.87, Feanc. Dept, of Labor -and Industry. 5 pp. (September, 1941). The history cf the microscope is reviewed briefly, culminating in the invention cf the electron microscope. The theory of the electron microscope is presented briefly, and the instrument is described with diagrams and illustrations. It will have numerous applications in industry' and medicine in the latter including the study of filterable viruses and other bacteriological fields. The importance to industrial hygiene is indicated in the introduction, by R.L. Houtz. The sub micron size3 of silica and other dusts, which are admitted to be among the most dangerous, can be readily studied. 112 Testing for Sensitivity to Dyes. Queries and Miner Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117, 1056 (September" go"1941] An inquiry is made regarding tests for sensitivity to and tolerance cf the com ponents cf aniline dyes, especially methyl cyanide. Such tests are chiefly limited tc cutaneous irritants. Some finished dyes are in that class, but a larger number of irritants are likely to oc found among intermediates and basic materials. Fateh or contact tests for cutaneous irritants are valuable under many circumstances, but the determination of precise causes of irritation is often difficult. References for directions for patch tests are given and some precautions are mentioned. For non-cutaneous exposure, there are no known prac tical methods for measuring tolerance of individuals but fairly well accepted standards exist for tolerable limits cf many substances. 113 Solubility of Carbon Disulfide Vapcr In Body Fluids and Tissues. R.W. McKee. 1. Ind. -*yg. & Tex., 23, 434-469 (December, 1941). A technic fer determining carbon disulfide solubility in tissues and fluids is given. Solubility coefficients ere presented for water, saline, urine, whole blood, blood plasma, red ceils, bile, brain, liver and kidney. The relationship between lipid content and carbon disulfide solubility is shown, with no particu lar affinity of carbon disulfide for any one type of tissue fat. In vivo blood and 'urine coefficients correspond well with the tonometer determinations. The rate of saturation and desaturation is quite rapid. Saturation time checks well with the in vitro time. Industrial Hygiene Digest - :s :x 114 Micrs-Il3.r_ir.ess in tie Nash Room. C.R. 'nittingtsn. Nat. Safety News. 41, 54, 72 (Decarter, 1941;. Hypochlorites (sciaticas of sodium or calcium hypochlorite) arc recommended as the nest effective disinfectants, Tsoy are non-toxic, destroy odors rather than massing then and destroy filterable viruses. Solutions for various purposes vary in available chlorine content from 100 to 5000 p.p.m. In general it is boot to make a solution containing 10,000 p.p.m. available chlorihe ana to dilute it as needed. Various applications are described. lie The Destruction of Anthrax Spores in the Single-Bath Chrome Taming Process. G. Hast. liuench. Tiorartzl. V.hch., 83. 2C5-S09 etc.. (1938). (German). Nearly all imported hides collected through ordinary trade channels are to be regarded as probably infected. Most disinfectants oither are ineffective or spoil the hides. The chemicals used in removing hairs and epidermis kill anthrax spores in 35-43 days and chrome alum in 27 days. Their rate of killing is much too slow to be effective in the time taken by the tanning process but the suc cessive stages in treatment by these chemicals and others that are equally effec tive may give sufficient sterility by the end of the tanning process. It is most important to disinfect the water used in the preliminary washing process, as anthrax spores arc always likely to be present. 116 Disinfection of Anthrax-Infected Zoulnment in Leather Factories. I.A. Igorov, Sovyet Vet. Nc. 2, 48-51 (1939)". (Russian). Despite the variety of treatment given raw leather in tanning processes, anthrax spores survive and remain virulent in the equipment of leather factories, where they can contaminate products and effluents and infect workers. Russian official instructions proscribe the use of chloride of lime, for disinfoction, but the author criticizes them on the ground that it reacts with various chemicals used in processing, and recommends it only for cleaning appliances used in soaking. Caustic soda is recommended for appliances used in liming, dyeing, drying and finishing departments, and either acid or alkali in tanning departments. In gen eral the concentration of these materials should be under 10%. 117 Prevention of Calcium Cyanamide Dermatitis. Queries & Minor Notes. J. Am. Med. Assoc., 117. 977 (September 13, 1341). The question is what precautions can be taken to prevent cutaneous irritations appearing in men handling calcium cyanamide, which is used as a fertilizer and in the preparation of a number of ether compounds. The preventive measures recommended include totally enclosed methods of manufacture, wearing of protec tive clothing with change from outside clothing, shower baths, respirators. Pro tective clothing may consist of the new synthetic resins. In the absence of respirators, a little petrolatum in the nostrils is of benefit. 118 Protection af Droplet-Borne Infections by 3pray. D.S. Middleton and I.C. Gilliland. Lancet 241, 538-593 (November 15', 1941). A controlled experiment using the most elementary and simple fora of spraying with a hypochlorite solution affords some evidence that this method is capable of diminishing the spread of droplot-oorne infections within a military unit. The method achieves its best results during epidemic periods. Industrial Hygiene Digest .19 Protection of -kin from Cleaning Com__p_o_u__n_d_s. Queries & Minor Metes. :=> Ajn. Hear Assoc., 117, 903 (Teptenber 6, 1941}. The Air Corps uses large quantities of cleaning urr.pcunds for the cleaning of airplanes and engines, A femuia for the removal of carbon from engines incluaos creosote oil {about of: p henclsi , orthetoluioine, diethanolamine, oleic acid arijS etnylene glycol, the ere o-sote oil constituting 51- cf the whole. It is genersi- ly diluted i to 5 vith w ater or kerosene. Information on caustic and irritating properties and permissih le limits of the constituents is requested. All the sut- stances mentioned are di rect cutaneous irritants cr sensitizers for some persons, If kcrcsono is used as t he diluent an additional exposure is introduced. Any dilution practicable in metal cleaning will probably exceed the strength necess- ary to produce cutaneous injury, and any change in formula would only increase the concentration cf one potentially, hazardous material at the expense of another. Therefore, szi u protection is the only solution of the problem. Gloves and acror.s should be wer Synthetic rubber, especially neoprene, may be the bos' itwriai '..'here kerossene is used. Some protective creams may bo beneficial, but their effect roust be determined by trial and error. Careful skin hygiene r.ust bs maintained. *cc propyl alcohol is recognized at a solvent for removal of creosote from the skin. 120 Removal of By-Product Oases fro;: Cored Carbon Arcs in a Moving Picture Projection Booth. R.L. Hcutz. Safe Practice Bull., No. 34, Penna. Dept, of Labor and In dustry. 4 pp. (Tacvsr.bor, 1941). Seme projection machines are equipped with a rear shutter in addition to the usual front shutter. The additional shutter assists in cooling the machine parts and thus reduces the fire hazard, but it has an undesirable effect In caus ing carbon-arc by-products to pass from the opening of the lamp house into the projection room, precipitating smoke-like deposits on the sound-track mechanism and also causing u potential health hazard to the operator. This escape of fumes is not prevented by the conventional ventilating system for the lamp housing. To overcome this difficulty, a tightly-fitting plate of Pyrcx glass is placed be tween the roar shutter and the lamp house. This has proved effective in practi cal use. The ventilation system of the lamp housing is described. 121 The Problem of Deep Mine Air Conditioning. H.L.M. Larccmbe. Mining Hag., (London) 65, lul-121 (September. 1941). The author stresses the importance of atmospheric conditions as controlling fac tors in deep mines. The use of wot drilling, although necessary for dust con trol, increases the humidity to about 99^ at a temperature of 90F, which is at the limit of labor efficiency end health. Wetting of mine walls and muck piles also contributes to the humidity. As mines go deeper the silicosis hazard re mains about the same but the humidity hazard increases. One proposod solution is dry mining, using drills without compressed air, with an exhaust system. The difficulty with this plan is removal of the dust. Dry cyclonic separators do not efficiently remove the finest dust, and wet cyclones add to the humidity. The bag separator gives better results. Electrical precipitation is used in South African mines but has the limitation that the outfit is not transportable. Bag filtration is also useful for removing dust from blasting. Magnesium chlor ide solution instead of water for wotting dust has been proposed. Air cooling is now practiced successfully in several deep mines. Three general methods are used: (1) refrigeration plants on the- surface; (2) refrigeration plants under ground; and (3) the use of compressed air in air motors for all underground drives. The relativo merits cf the three are discussed. Compressed air cooling is the most economical. The silicosis problem is reviewed briefly. W W ffH-ou n)Ji8b Industrial Hygiene digest - 32. 122 The Effect of Humidity of Air on the Disinfection Case city cf Mechanically Atog.ized and Heat-Vclati.izud lemicidal .ercscis. A.H. Baker and C.3. Twcrt. J~.' Hyg., 4lV 'Il'?-13C Tseptombcr, 1941). The humidity of an atmosphere being disinfected by means of germicidal aerosol has a carded effect on the efficiency of the operation. I re number of baoteri able tc survive for a givor time nay be decreased greatly by raising the rela tive humidity from 40 tc 2Cv or higher. The conditions of humidity, germicide and necird of generating aerosol for maximum disinfection are net yet known. 123 The Gas-Mask Filter. H. Mchler. Frctar, 29-92 ii^i). {Oorr.an). The term gas-nusk filter includes the charcoal filter for gases and vapors and the fibrous filter for aerosols. The article is a theoretical discussion ef the mechanism by which th-ce two classes of impurities are removed from air. For gases and vapors the boiling point is the ir.est important factor in removal. For nists and sr.ekes iliquid end Sulid aerosol particles) the particle size is the nest important factor, demo methods for circumventing the gas mask arc discuss ed briefly. - 124 A Bacteriological Study of a Now Sanigenlc Flooring. V*.L. Mailman. J.An.Med. Assoc., 117, 344-34? {September 6,1941). "Kubbeilite" is a new cement floor surfacing material containing cupric oxychlor ide, end is claimed to destroy bacteria. It was tested by: (1) introducing fragments cf the fleer into water; (2) smearing bacteria end molds on the floor ing; and (3) comparing the bacteria and mold counts with those on ordinary cement. Results of all these tests lead tc the conclusion that the use of hubfcelite floors is an aid in the control of flocr-borae infections of the feet. 125 Control of Oust and Smoke. S.C. Slacktin. Chan. Products. 4, 53-59 (1941). A discussion of dust and smoke determination and control, physical analysis of particles by dispersion, nev/est advances, stationary and rotating records, count ing particles in the original medium and applications in the manufacture of per fumery and photographic products. Twenty references. 126 Reduction of Dust-Bcrne Bacteria. J.C. Thomas. Lancet 241, 123-127 (August 2, 1341). The effect of spindle oil on wood floors has been tested over a period of months, both in a crowded canteen and in hospital wards. In every case the author reports a reduction by about 60$ in the nuaber of organisms projected in to the air by sweeping. This reduction applies both to the common dust sapro phytes and to pathogenic streptococci. 12? Sterilized Air Cuts Illness, Gives us Setter Products. H.C. Jackson. Factory Man. & Main., 99^, 81-32 (December",-1941). Thu installation of bactericidal lamps in the factor*/ of Bristol-Myers Company is described. Over 99$ of the total bacteria are removed, and operators in the finishing department are freer from colds and respiratory ailments. Contamina tion of the products is also eliminated. 128 Air Purification by Hypechlorous Acid Pcs, A.T. Masteman. Chen. Products, 4j 22-24 (January-February, 134l). The author discusses the use of hypochlorites for germicidal spraying, which was first used in 1916. He presents several points in support of his view that hypochlorcus acid is the germicidal agent. Carbon dioxide increases the germici dal power, cut it is lowered by alkalies. Objections of other authors to the use cf the method are answered. Industrial Hygiene Diges *I -- w*2'W cao 129 Germicidal aerosols. A.H. Baker. Chea. Products, 4_, 25-28 (January-Februarfi 1941)~ T There is ample proof that diseases of the respiratory tract and possibly c^r^in virus diseasos arc spread oy droplets, which remain suspended in the air a ibfeg tine. Any germicidal aerosol should be capable of effectively sterilising axl droplets or droplet nuclei v,-hich are small enough to travel iu a mere or less horizontal direction for r. diseance of about 3 feet. No aerosol has been produc ed which will effectively deal with large droplets during their brief presence in the atmosphere. Many phenolic germicides have a rapidly lethal action cn bacteria, but ara toxic to nun, have an undesirable odor, or irritate the nos trils. Hypochlorites are cheap but are subject to possible objections cn account -rrs of odor, blenching action, and corrosion of metals. "Smokes" can be produced easily from numerous cheap substances and without the expensive apparatus requir ed for generating tha other aerosols. The pleasant odor of balsamic aerosols nay be also useful psychologically as a ncsk for unpleasant odors. 130 Purification of Air end Oases. Anonymous. Ind. Chemist. 17. 117-119 (May,1941). The Iraughbor flotation filter is described. A smoothfaced cylinder, rotating at a suitable speed in contact v.ith the surface of a liquid, picks up a film of the liquid and sprays it v.ith considerable force in the fora of a fine mist, sending it splashing with the gas to be cleaned, against the sides of the filter. The character of the mist, the density of the droplets, their size and the volume of mist can be regulated. On the surface of the pool of liquid a minute quantity of another liquid of low surface tension is allowed to drop at predetermined in tervals, so that every mist drop is covered with an infinitesmal film of the lowsurface-tension liquid. As the spray and mist reduce the temperature of the incoming gas, the volume and consequently the velocity are reduced, condensation upon the particles in suspension is accelerated and the low-surface tension oil insulates thorn electrically. The- final stage of purification is achieved by bubbling the ga^es in fine streams through a layer of water upon which the lowsurfacc tension oil forms a froth as tho gases blow through. This froth layer is the ideal equivalent of a filter cloth of constant, adjustable texture and resistance. Any froth entrained by the gas is errested by low resistance laby rinth rings. The circulating fan is placed bohind tho filter, and tho filter therefore operates under reduced pressure. Other details of construction are described and illustrated. 131 Second Supplement to Information Circular 703QR. tJ.S. Bureau of Mines, November 28, 1941. The following respiratory protective devices have been approved by the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, since the first supplement to Information Circular 7030R was issued (April 30, 1941). SCHEDULE 21 Type A. 26. 9. Dispersoid (Dust, Fume and Mist) Respirators - Pneumoconiosis-producing and Nuisance Dust Respirators Willson Respirator No. 10. Approval 34-2146, issued to Willson Products, Inc., September 11, 1941. Toxic Dust Respirators A.Q.R-9100 T respirator. Approval 3M-2144, issued to the American Optical Company, May 19, 1941, for toxic dusts. Hygeia Reef ff12 respirator. Approval EM-2145, issued to the Hygeia Filtering Corporation (formerly tho Hygeia Respirator Company), July 15, 1941, for toxic dusts. --- c-\ <0 * Industrial Hygiene ligect - 34. (S < 132 An la-proved Metuoa of lv'_iur.ting Dust leakage from Air Filters. l.K. Acheson ifS and H.A. ehumaker. Heae., rip., and Air Ccr.d., 13., -24-72 `Novembcr, 1941). 1 Thu method was criminally dc-rigr.ed f,r testing vacuum sweepers hut can he as ap.iied to any type ;f -nr filter. The r.othod is ta:od primarily upon the dis{ cclcration of a white porous Llr.tine target, the mount of discoloration being measured by photo-electric means. Inly the filtered air is tested, thus giving a measurement of the octal leakage, unaffected by variations in dust concentra tions in the rocm. air. The standard test lust consisted of Cottrell precipitate and v.udto sand. Full details .f the nctlmc are given. Industrial Medical Practice 133 Placement of the herke.r. T.L. Hazlott. Ir.u. Mod., 1C, 335-536 (December, 1341). A uniform cxar.ino.tion of "11 applicants has often been common practice. However, with the varying v/ucs of strength, skill and ability, and varying health hazards to vrhich the worker is exposed, a uniform examination system is no longer suffi cient. The purpose of the pre-or.plcyir.ent examination is to fit the 'worker proper ly into the job which his physical qualifications warrant. Complete rejection of the worker should net even be a secondary purpose. The plant physician should be familiar with the hazards of the industry; if detailed knowledge is impossible, jcb-specific-.ticn cards 3hould be used for the information of the employment, production and :;cdical departments. The physician's copy should contain full information or. tho known hazards of the job. Complete personal history is desir able for the pro-employment examination. Classification of the examinations will depend upon the industry, cut in a suggested classification for a fabricating industry, examination Nc. 1 would be the general type, possibly including a fluoroscopic examination, chest x-ray -and a 'Wassernan; No. 2 would include a chest x-ray, as it is necessary for dusty occupations; No. 3 a complete blood examination (particularly for exposures to metals and solvents), and No, 4 patch tests. In the author's experience, the system of grading men for fitness for particular jobs, as now practiced permits placement of many workers formerly thought unfit for any job. 134 A Syphilis Control Program for Industry and its Integration with the Community Program. F.G. Gililck end J. Euxell. Ind. Med.. 1C, 548-552 (December, 1941). The -active participation by industry in syphilis control work involves certain responsibilities to the employee as an individual, as an integral part of the in dustrial organization, and ns a member of the community. As on individual and a part of the industrial organization, the employee's active voluntary coopera tion can best be solicited ana obtained by guaranteeing the security of his position in industry and in society through sound medical and administrative policies and through maintenance of strictly confidential physician-to-patient relationship, .ws a member of the community the industrial worker cannot be ex pected to rise suddenly above the health standards of his environment and to maintain this high level. An industrial program for syphilis control should, therefore, be actively integrated in and coordinated with the community's syphilis control program. '>-5 ,,< = Industrial Hygiene Digest - 3c. cr* CJO 135 Industrial Nursing ana C-nr-.unity Resources. H.H. Kessler. Nat. Safety News, 43, 34-36 (December, 1341;. cs The author lists 1C official agencies which contribute to a rounded health pre^ gram from the U. S. Public Health Service and Dopartment of Labor to the far.iJg physician. The opportunities of the nurse arc briefly discussed. Among the * obstacles and problems that the industrial nurse faces are those found in the:c policies of management, the attitudes of unions, the resistance of the worker, the apathy of some social workers and her own lack of training. Cooperation with the various agencies will aid in overcoming such obstacles. 136 War and Health in 3ritain. V,h Jameson. Am. J. Pub. Health, 31, 1253-1262 (December, 1941), This abstract is confined to the section on "The Industrial Worker." The diffi culties of housing, lighting, ventilation, time for shopping, care of children, etc. ere discussed and then, more fully, working hours and fatigue. After the evacuation of Dunkirk and the collapse of France in May, 1940, a tremendous effort was put forth by industry. Longer and longer hours were worked, and in many fac tories there was a higher hourly output at the same time. This situation co-old not last, and gradually output began tc fall as a result of strain ana fatigue. Time began to be lost through sickness and injury and -workers became stale. Accordingly, hours were reduced and holidays resumed. Apparently 60-65 hours per week for men and 55-6C hours for women constitute a limit beyond which there is mere to lose than to gain. Certain industrial poisonings have increased, es pecially those from T.N.T., aniline, nitrous fumes end carbon monoxide. Medical supervision ana nursing cud welfare services can be made compulsory when neces sary in any munitions factory. 137 An Industrial Medical Care Plan. C.3. Bray. Medical Care 1,, 344-349 (Autumn, 1941;. - The medical service program of the American Cast Iron Pipe Company, employing 1500 persons, is described. The staff consists of 3 full-time physicians, a laboratory and x-ray technician, 2 dentists, 12 part-time specialists, and tw full-time nurses. Medical service is free to all employees and their families, at a cost tc the company of $125,000 per year. During 1940 73,017 distinct services were rendered. In addition to regular services which are described, a study of cold vaccines was made with 500 employees cooperating. Thorough pre employment examinations are given, and the company has cooperated with other agencies in providing rehabilitation for those who are rejected. The loss of man days through illness during 1940 was 0.87%, and through accidont 0.73%, both of which are much below tho national average. Statistical data can not be prac tically presented, but the company feels that the working efficiency of the em ployees is increased to such an extent that more money is saved than the total cost of tho medical services. Also, the efficient working life span is probably increased, and the company is making a more helpful and efficient contribution to national defense than it would otherwise. 138 Rocorcmondation Regarding the Organization of a Medical and Social Service and Security Ccmttee in Establishments Mentioned in Article 65, Book II of the Labor Code. Med. du trav., l, 68-84 (1941). (French). The Frer.cn Minister of Labor recommends that in every plant employing 2000 work- _ ers, a full time r.edicnl service should be provided; in plants with 500-2CQ0 workers, a half time physician and full tine nurse. The physician should be trained is industrial medicine, should give examinations to all applicants and periodically to all young or endangored workers, and should supervise plant hygiene. In factories with more than 1000 workers there should be 7 rooms for the medical service and an ambulance, and at least 2 rooms in factories with 100-1000 workers. A social service organisation should cooperate with the physi cian; there should be a hygiene committee of at least 7 persons, and a security committee. Industrial Hygiene Digest - C35 139 Medical Cure in Industry. F. Goidaan. Medical Cure. 1., 301-312 (Autumn, 1941).:^ The author has made an intensive study of four medical service plans, conducted::; by large employers located at different parts of the country. Non-industrial injuries and diseases are included as well as industrial injuries and occupaticlP el disease, in all the plans. The following points are common t~ all four: -c (I- physician's care includes the services of general practitioners as well as specialists; (2) home medical care it provided; (3) oospitnl care is an integral part of the plans; and (4) preventive services for apparently well persons arc made available; (5) the basic diagnostic services such as clinical laboratory and roentgenological services are furnished through well-equipped clinics or hospitals; (c) physical therapy services are provided in special divisions equip ped with ail essential apparatus; and (5) appliances, with certain exceptions, are excluded from coverage. Points of difference include the amount and period of hospitalization, which is limited in two of the plans; provision for tubercu losis, financing plans, and allocation of expenses. The cost per eligible per son per year varies from lC.75 (in a group of 100,000 eligible persons) tc 23.40 jn a group of 5,000. 140 Dependence of Results of Spicutanoous Skin Tests on the Localization and Condi tion of the Eczuma. C. Carrie and R. WaeJmann, Dcrmat. Wchnschr. 112, 237-246 (1941). (German;. The authors first state that the degree of reaction in allergic eczemas is alter ed by the cause of the illness. They examined cases cf acute universal, local ized, and chronic eczemas to determine whether the non-specific reection of sensitivity as well as the specific allergic reaction, depends upon the state of eczema. If 3 or more substances out of their standard scries of 20 caused a positive reection, they diagnose the case az one of increased non-spoeific sen sitivity. They found that such -was the caso in 11 out of 14 cases of acute eczema, and in cbout half of the other forms. They point out that testing cf this non-specific sensitivity is useful for export testimony as well as in giv ing advice about change of occupation, 141 Srplcyment of Handicapped Persons. T.B. Knox. Management Record, 3^ 151-154 (December, 1941). Practices regarding employment of handicapped persons vary greatly, and a suffi ciently large number of corporations (one-fourth tc one-third) employ such per sons to indicato that it is practical. The experience of companies which have employed handicapped persons, using careful selection procedures, seems to have been unifoimly good. The number of handicapped persons (probably 6 million adults) is large enough to constitute a considerable labor supply, and a-consid erable social problem if not employed. Social philosophies regarding employment seem to vary greatly, and may be mere important than experience in determining policies. Study of eachcompany's selection practices may reveal points at which they can be revised withprofit to the company in this emergency and to the pub lic in more normal times. . 142 History and Present Status of Oxygen Therapy and Resuscitation. R.M. Toveli and ~.E. Remlingcr. J.Am.Mec.Ascoc., 117, 1933-1944 (December 6, 1941). This paper is a general review of oxygen therapy and cf resuscitation. Anoxia (lack of oxycea in the system) is classified and the treatment of each form is discussed. The use c? oxygen after major surgical procedures is increasing, as is cxygen therapy in general. The common manual and mechanical types of resus citation arc described briefly. The patient asphyxiated with carbon monoxide presents rather complex problem. The best treatment involves the use of cxygen and carbon dioxide. Theuse cf helim with oxygen for treatment of astlsaa has been found successful. Industrial Hygiene Digest - 3". 143 Symposium on Industrial Health Held at the Medical College cf Virginia, Richnsed, Va., September il and 12, I?41. Reported by C.C. Sapcington. lad* Hed., 1Q_, 537-142 (December, 1941). Five Virginia organizations, representing the State, medicine and industry co-<S operated in naming this svr.pccium possible. Twenty papers were presentee on various phases of industrial health. Seme cf those in the fields covered in -s this Bulletin nearly duplicate other papers by the sane authors, that have be^ abstracted recently. Sr. Hazlett's paper on Placement of the Worker is abstract ed separately in this Bulletin. Ir. addition, the following three arc of interest. Tuberculosis ir. Industry. The Use of Maso X-Raying. 2.C. Harper. Hass x-raying v.-ith a 35-.~z, at pant us costs about 25 cents per person, and re quires 3C minutes. Muss surveys have been made in the tobacco, explosives, life insurance, steel, recreation and amusement products, and coal mining industries. The results show a percentage of C.56 cases active ana 2.15& old healed tubercu losis. Approximately 50,COO mere persons will be examined next year. Respiratory Diseases end Air Conditioning. W.J. McConnell. Adequate and proper maintenance of air conditioning can be a factor in the con trol cf upper respiratory diseases. Statistics by the Metropolitan and by Bristol show little difference in incidence of sickness, absenteeism and respir atory disease duo to air conditioning. On the other hand, colds and other dis eases =?re contracted because the body docs not adjust itself to changed condi tions, and air conditioning provides uniform conditions. Pneumonia has been re duced to one-feurth by preventing hazardous exposures. Thermal radiation of the body and comfort are also discussed. The Evolution of Industrial Health. D.E. Cummings. The author discusses the history of industrial health for the last 20 years, v.-ith the great changes that have arisen, including attention to prevention of accidents and occupational diseases, development of control measures, beginning of industrial hospitals, the period of fixed salaries for medical men in indus try, the attitude cf suppressing information on silicosis, and the gradual abandoning of that attitude. The present place of the engineer and physician and the basis for their cooperation ar6 also discussed. 144 Industrial Safety and Health from an Executive Viewpoint. J.J. Porter. Ind.Med., 10, 542-546 (December, 1941). The author first recounts accident prevention work sponsored by the Portland Cement Association, the report cf the N.A.M. Healthful Working Conditions Com mittee, and the study of silicosis in the cement industry, made by the Saranac Laboratory, He then discusses the attitude of workers toward safety problems, and urges the employer to sell safety to tho men rather than tc adopt a tone of defeatism on the influence of the 'unions. Next is considered the part of the government in securing industrial health. The first steps wore legislative and have accomplished great good. The government's present function in inspection and safety recommendation is act always satisfactory, as some inspectors are in competent and politically appointed. The means for accomplishing safety and health can be safely left ir. the hands of the management which in the great majority of cases is far more competent to organize and direct safety and health programs than any government bureau can possibly be. Figures on the improvements in safety and industrial health demonstrate that industry in general is capable cf accomplishing much. 145 Disabling Morbidity among Industrial Workers, Third Quarter of 1941. W.lt. Gafafer. Pub. Health Repts., 56, 2428-2429 (December 19, 1941). The usual quarterly report on disabling morbidity among industrial workers is presented in tabular form. There are only two outstanding differences from the regular course of disease frequency. One is an increased rate for diarrhea end ontentis, and the other is the pneumonia rate, which approximately equals the previous year's high record. ndustrial Hygiene Digest - 36. tNl 146 Responsibility of Government Labor Officials in the Defense Program. F. S. Miller. N.Y. State Dept. ;f Labor, lad. Bull., 20, 243-248 (September, 1941). The three major areas in which government labor officials can contribute most a to defense include conservation of the worker's health, maintenance and exton- sion of labor standards, end conservation of worker's income. Under normal <a operating conditions occupational diseases and accidents cause a loss of l billion man-hours, and it is increasing with the current expansion. The subjects of new hazards, effect of noise, rcadaptation of former employees, preemplcyment examinations, overcrowding and lack of trained industrial physicians arc discuss ed. Labor officials have a unique opportunity for safeguarding health and safe ty cf employees. 147 Appraisal cf Disability Resulting from. Occupational Diseases. M.R. Mayers. i. Y. State Dept. Labor. Ind. 3ull., 20. 231-254 (Scptcmbcr7~i941). The author discusses the difficulties in appraising n disability due to occupa tional disease. The starting point of any such appraisal is the "normal" which involves factors varying with the job. Among several particular difficulties mentioned, one is disagreement among physicians regarding percentage disability, especially when occupational disease is the cause of the disability. Another is the question cf returning to work in v.-hich the patient has contracted the occu pational disease. In some cases, such as silicosis and aniline bladaer tumors, the disease progresses whether the occupation is continued or not. There are cases of decreased sensitivity, such as to carbon tetrachloride after working with the same material, and increased sensitivity, for instance to carbon tetra chloride after chlorinated naphthalene poisoning, and the common allergies. Psychological disturbances, such as those caused by carbon disulfide and lead, are also considered. In conclusion, Dr. Mayors lists some of the pitfalls to be avoided in the collection and interpretation of laboratory data on occupational diseases. 148 Morbidity Trends and Trade Cycles. L.E. Bodnar. Int. Labor Rev., 43, 515-541 (1941). Using data from the sick fund statistics of Germany, Scotland and Czechoslovakia, the author shows a close correlation between morbidity and changing economic conditions, the recorded morbidity falling during economic depression and rising < = during prosperity. However, a rise in recorded morbidity is not in itself a sign of deterioration in health nor of malignancy. It is, on the contrary, a natural corollary cf any improvement in the standard cf living. If sickness insurance is not to defeat its purpose measures should bo taken to prevent these trends as far as possible. One possible method would be to avoid restriction of benefits or tightening control during depressions, graduating the rates of sickness bene fits on a scale inversely proportional to wages. 149 Clarity of Detail in X-Ray Screen Pictures. E. Schopper. Veroeffentl. wiss. Zentral-Lab. phot. Abt. AGFA .6, 134-138 (1939). (German). The 2.5-fold increase in sensitivity of the new x-ray Fluorapid film brings about an improvement in the energy relation. Comparison of radiographic methods shows that the clarity of detail increases in the order: fluorescent screen photography, use of paper, use of x-ray film. 150 Follow-up of 1,041 Tuberculous Patients. M.G. Stephens. Am. Rev. Tuberc., 44, 451-462 (October, 1941). The study was made to determine the status of tuberculosis patients on particular anniversaries of the date of admission to a sanatoria, and the chances that tuborculosis will recur after a patient has completed his cure and resumed em ployment. Naturally the minimal cases had a more favorable experience than the advanced cases. On the 5th anniversary of the completion of cure, 90$ of the minimal cases were at work or able to work as compared with 75$ of the advanced cases. :l0g Industrial Hygiene Digest-39. m .ff 151 Comparison of Miniature Hoentgenograns and Full Size Films in Serial ExamiTiatldSfe of Workers Exposed to Dust. 2. Saupo. Fortschr. a. d. Geb. Hoentgenstrahl., 62, 145*159 (1940). (Osman) . More than 25,000 workers in the ceramic industry and mines of Saxony have been00 examined. The author presents 12 pairs of pictures of roentgenograms; one is a* reduction of a large film, the other an enlargement of a miniature, both the * same final size. It is possiblo to recognize silicosis in stage 2 (snow-storm or mottled lung;, but not alv.-ays silicosis in stage 1, and asbestos!.; in severe or medium cases buthardly ever in early cases. The miniatures (22 x 24 mm.) com pared with the normal show the details simplified and coarsened, the sharpness lost and the finest details invisible. Much has been accomplished by the use of miniatures but they must bo improved. 152 Physical Tq-qg in Pneumoconiosis. 2.A. Aslett and ethers. J. Hyg., 41, 169-179 (September, 1941). The authors made an investigation of the population of an anthracite colliery in South Wales to test whether susceptibility to pneumoconiosis is related to physical type. The ratio of the standing height to the lateral diameter of the chest seemed to be to some degree correlated with susceptibilities to pneumocon iosis. The ratio was rather lower in the nomal subjects than in those with major consolidation. However, the correlation was not sufficiently close to forecast with a useful degree of accuracy whether or not an individual is likely to develop pneuncconiosis. 153 The Causes Underlying the Recent Increased Incidence of and Mortality from Tuberculosis in Glasgow. S. Laidlaw and D. MacFarlane. Brit. Med. J., 2, 436-437 (September 27, 1941). The annual number of recorded cases of tuberculosis in Glasgow, which was fairly stable up to 1939, (around 1600), rose to 1,908 in 1940 and 2,190 in 1941. The deaths correspondingly increased from an average near 960, to 1,177 in 1940 and 1,342 in 1941. (The 1941 figures are based on the record for the first half of the year.) The author rejects the following as possible important causes of the increase: (1) increased virulence of the tubercle bacillus; (2) malnutrition and deficient diet; (3) tubercle bacilli in milk; (4) examination by military medical boards; (5) exertion or strain of army life; (6) long hours in shelters; (7) overcrowding in factories. The oighth possible cause, namely long hours, overwork, strain and curtailed rest is accepted on the basis of distribution by age groups and other factors as the predominating factor in the increase of tuberculosis. 154 Why Not T.B. Tests for All? Anonymous. Factory Man. & Main., 99, 55, 164 (June, 1941). The local Anti-Tuberculosis League tested 3,300 employees of a large factory in Cleveland with fluoroscope and x-ray for chest and heart ailmente. Active tuberculosis gena3 were found in 0.5# of the total number. Fluoroscopic examin ation should be a part of hiring procedure. In the Ohio courts tuberculosis allegedly contracted from a fellow employee was the basis of a compensation suit. Although it *.ns rejected and tuberculosis is not usually compensable, fluoroecpic and x-ray tests aid in defense against unfair suits and are also valuable in supervision of employee health. HhB8-0O10*i 9m IIGK (January,1342) Air analysis Examination, pre-employment Phosgene 94 bacteriological 100-10? 133 Phosphorus poisoning T benzene 101 Fatigue, chronic 35 65-66 g carbon disulfide 110 Formaldehyde 61 Pneumoconiosis :x carbcn monoxide 103 Fur workers 62 physical type 152 carbon tetrachloride 108 chloroform 100 Gases,, v/ar Gasoline 87 36 Pressure, abnormal 42 Prelection booth fumes dichlcrethane 104 Glycol, trimethyiene 55 120 hydrogen 3ulfide 110 Hard;earned, employment of Pesins, synthetic 57 naphthalene 105 141 Respiratory protection nitrogen oxides 109 Health, ind us tried. approved 131 pyridine 10C general 144 gr.s mask 123 organic compound* 102 in wartime 136 Resuscitation Aniline oil 51 labor dept., rol* of 146 142 Anthraccsis pigsent 24-33 orocrax 39-48-137-138-139 Selenium 71 Anthrax 115-116 symposium 143 Silicosis 3 Barium carbonate 28 Hydrofluoric acid Benzene 44 78 general 21-29-34 miners 26 Cancer Hydrogen sulfide Spectrograph 96 tar 54-74-82 41 0 traumatic 81 Lead Statistics morbidity & mortality Carbon disulfide in body fluids 113 determination 95-97-98 poisoning 72 145-148 Sulfur 27 Carbon tetrachloride 32-09 Lymphogranuloma benicna Syphilis 134 cyanogen pcisoning 38 30 "Terfiitol" 60 Deafness, occupational 63 Dermatitis calcium cyanamid 117 cleaning compounds 119 Manganese general pneumonia Mercury 73 67 Thallium poisoning 66 Tuberculosis experimental 25 cutting oil 85 determination 99 general 150-151-153-ia "Dic-a-dco" 80 fulminate 86 Tungsten nail lacquer 83 poisoning 69 70 occupational 94 Microscope, electron Turpentine shir, tests 140 Dichlorethane determination 104 Pichlorobenzene 40-50 Disability, appraisal 111 Munition hazards 86-89-90 Naphthalene 56 Nitrochlorobenzone 46 Undulant fever 52 Ventilation filter test 132 147 Disinfectants 114-118-122-124-126 12 7-128-129-130 Disease, industrial general 37 pulmonary 20 women 48 Dust control 125 disease 22 experiments 19 53 Nitroosrcffins 58 Nitroeen, elimination 23 Nursing, industried 135 Nystagmus, miner's 43 Onychia, solvent 75 Onycholvsis in fur workers 77 In mines X-ray 149 Zinc 64 121 rouge 31 Ozone 91-92-93 Dyes, sonsitivitv 112 Electroplating hazards 49 Epidermophytia 76 Paraphenvldiamine 45 Phenyl mercuric oleate 79 l ,,< : riWBB-0010*i5 i