Document QM2D1aD9a3meLO8DDGxZpnLO7

Note to Llenbers: V Ao, v ** r\A |o-( 5 toto^ r 3 1; "= fX7 .-j^-y y^r/*v/ Here are the Proceedings for "the""fourth fall meeting of Air Hygiene Foundation. The bulletin contains important information on the medical, engin eering, legal, labor and public relations aspects of industrial health. Pleaso help us bring this timely material before all interested executives in your organization. Additional copies are available to members free of charge. April, 1940 Air Hygiene Foundation, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 0 C 3 12 \j REPORT ON NEW ENGLAND HEALTH INSTITUTE MEETINGS HELD AT HDTEL BOND, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT APRIL 17 and 18, 1940 1. The Effect of Various Dusts on the Human Organism, Dr. LeRoy V. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory, Saranac, New York. In Dr. Gardner's discussion on the above subject, he stated that the objective was to reduco injurious dust conditions, and thereby reduce the rate of diseases. To achieve this objective it is necessary to understand the reaction which different dusts have on the human organism, and it must be understood that all dusts have the following four properties: ohcmical and physical particlo size concentration duration of exposure In order to study the chemical and physical properties of dusts, quantitos of sample dusts are injected into animals, in this case rabbits, and thoir chango in physical condition carofully studied. Injections of this type toll whother or not the sample used is injurious to health, but it gives no clue as to whother or not absorption through inhalation takes placo or what quantities of tho somplo would be necessary to result in illness. It has been dotorminod that froo silica dust is very harmful and oxtremo caro must be takon to koop froc silica dust from the lungs. Silicates, such as garnet, sillimonito and scricito, aro, on tho other hand, inert and are considered irritating and troublosomo but not toxic. Mixtures of puro minerals arc not as injurious as the pure minerals. Mixtures of silica and other substances aro not particularly harmful until the quantity of froc silica is 50 per cent or over. Fibrous substances, as asbestos, cannot be studied by injoction. Concentrations of dust-laden air of over 5 million parts/cu. ft. for silica and 50 million parts/cu. ft. for floor dust arc considered harmful to health. Tho duration of oxposuro to injurious dusts, of courso, depends on tho concentration of dusts being inhaled, but usually it takos years of oxposuro for chronic casos. In rapid cases whero the porccntago of froo silica is high, illnoss may result in about two yoars. 00311 ^ V:' 2. Industrial Dermatitis - Incidenco, cause, and Prevention. Dr. Louis Schwarts, Medical Director U. S. Public Health, National Institute of Health, Washington, D. C* ; * f According to Government statistics shown by Dr. Schwartz, dermatoses of various kinds account for 65 por cent of all occupational diseases. Compcn- ` sation cases resulting from dermatoses represent about 1 por cent of tho total cases reported; however, much lost timo is reported and many persons are rendered temporarily non-productivo duo to skin infoctions# Synthetic resins account for about 7 l/2 por cent of all dermatitis cases. This knowledge should bo of importance to us, tho Raybcstos-Uanhattan Company, inasmuch as we handlo quantities of those matoric.ls, as well as many irritating solvents and compounds. Rubber glovos should not bo used more than nocessary because they often cause dermatoses from perspiration and from fillers and compounds in the rubber glove itsolf# Susceptibility to skin diseases is, in general, classed as follows; (a) Negroes, brunettes, and Latins are less apt to bocomo infocted than white persons, blondes, and porsons of othor races# ' (b) Hairy mon are more apt to bo infected than loss hairy mon# (c) Diot has a lot to do with susceptibility to skin troubles, inasmuch as the foods eaten affect tho F-H, or acid-alkaline, balanco of tho perspiration# (d) A young porson or a new porson at a job is moro apt to develop a dermatitis than on old hand who has built up resistance to infootion# (o) Women aro less apt to have skin infections than men, probably because they arc more particular about their personal cloanlinoss than men are* Allsjjy is a torm used to donotc increased susceptibility to skin infectionsJpillergios arc of two types, inherited and contact. This latter typo is ppduccd in somo persons by repeated oxposure to some irritant. Allergic persons should bo removod from contact with the irritant and given jobs olsowherc# Wounds and skin abrasions arc oxccllent places for skin troubles to start and should be taken caro of immediately. The best safoguard against dermatoses is cleanliness of person and surroundings. Where irritants must be handled, compulsory baths and clothes changes arc recommended# 0 C 313 .$ The Use of Respiratory Protective'Equipment in the Protection of the WorkerTs Hoalth* William P. Yant, 3 S*,"Directory of Research and Development, Mine Safety Appliance Compony, Pittsburgh, Penn, Respiratory protective equipment is dividod into two gonoral classes* (a) Emergency (b) Non-emcrgcncy The emergency typo of respirator is dosigned to be used where a person cannot oxist and not become physically hormod for oven a very short inter val of time, and is to be used, as the name implios, in emergency cases, such as fires, oxplosions, etc* Location of this type of apparatus is im portant, since it may bo roachod and put on quickly in oaso of troublo* Emergency respirators are usually solf-containod and aro not designod to yto rk in easily or long but to sorvo the user with oxygon or clean air, al though ho may be in a highly toxic or suffocating atmosphere* The group of non-emcrgcncy typos of rospiratore are the kind used for general factory work where it is necossary for a man ho work in atmospheres that might prove harmful to him if ho worked in this exposure over long periods of timo. They aro designod to render the air 'shich he breathes clean enough, so that no illness will result from his occupation no matter how long ho works at it* Some non-cmcrgoncy respirators arc merely air filters, removing only irritating, solid particlos from the air. In using those rospirators, caro must be takon to have tho proper respirator for tho type of dust in the atmosphere* Many of those respirators arc good onough for non-toxic dusts but arc not effective onough against toxics, such as lead, to prevent illness* ... Air containing smoke of finely suspended particles must be cloaned through some special typo of filtering or absorption, as well as air con taining vapors and fumos* It is tho problem of manufacturers maldng this typo of equipment to develop an all-purposo rospirator but, sinco no such mako of the non- emerge-noy typo is available. It is nocossary that each problem bo studied carefully propor rospirator usod for tho condition under oonsidera- OndBjf the. biggest problems facing manufacturers today in regard to keeping tttSir employees well is making the employees obey instructions* In the casos which wo aro now discussing, the problem is to make tho em ployees wear tho respirators* In issuing respirators t? employees, somo dofinite form of procedure should be followed? (a) Explain to the employee why he is expected to wear protective equipment* 003 j 4 (b) Teach him to breathe properly in it. It is the natural tendency of persons to fight obstructions to normal breathing, and the reaction is to make j a voluntary action, respiration is increased, and heart action speeded up. With proper training, a man can breathe involuntarily and easily in a respirator, if the respirator is properly designed* (c) Fit tho rospirator to the employees face, so that ho is comfortable in it. Adjust head straps proporly, so that the mask will fit his face com fortably* (d) Issue a rospirator to one employe only, never swap or expect men to "take turns" with the somo mask, (o) Havo ttrefills" accossiblo to employoos* (f) Insist that foremen and executives also wear protective devices when they are inspecting or supervising hazardous jobs* (g) Never ridicule a man* s appearance when wearing a rospirator; nevor ridiculo a man for being afraid if ho is cautious or over-cautious in regard to wearing a respirator* Engineering Mothods of Occupational Disoaso Control* B. F* Postman, M. E. Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Connecticut State Department of Health. Mr* Postman's address served as a very fitting summing-up of tho In dustrial Section of tho Hoalth Institute Mootings* Ho shewed very con clusively how properly engineered jobs served to roduco hazardous situations to a minimum* Operations producing oithcr dust or smoko should be hooded and con nected to a fan so that oithcr tho smoke or dust would bo drawn out of the room bofore it could either get on or bo breathed by tho operator. Mr. Postman showed a number of slidos picturing actual operations both before and ,$fter proper ventilating systems had boon installed* The iU| obstacio which Mr. Postmen's offico meets in trying to get a menufactMjjk to moko a proper installation is the price of such on installation, its maintenance, and the cost of boating tho air which is exhausted through tho system* Mr* Postman's argument against this is that by properly engineering thoso installations, by locating properly dosigned suction orifices at tho propor places, tho costs can bo cut to a minimum, in many casos to not over present ventilating costs with improper designs. Tho largest savings effected by proporly oxhausting dust, vapors, and smokes is the reduction in compensation eases* Properly engineered oxhausing systems havo tho following bearing on tho control of occupational diseases: ! (a) Dust and harmful vapors are largely eliminated, thus :* reducing tho number of disoases cuasod by them as discussod by Dr, Gardner, (b) The removal of those dusts is conducive to good housekeeping. Operators end Plant are kept much cloanor, thereby reducing the demititis troubles reported by Dr, Schwartz, (c) By removal of a large portion of dusts end vapors working spaces which are not rendered ontirely free aro at loast placod in a class where non-emergency types of respirators may bo used with pcrfoct safoty to operators, T&th tho exception of Mr, Yant*s taik on Respirators, all of theso addresses wore givon from illustrative slides, which made tho lccturor*s points very cloar to tho listeners but also mado neto-toking very difficult, Tho abovo report is, thcroforo, not as comploto as it might possibly bo, but in it I havo tried to cover the high spots of each talk* I had tho ploasuro and opportunity of mooting the following men directly connoctod with this Health Institutoj (a) Dr, A, S, Gray, Director of tho Buro&u of-Occupational Diseases, Connecticut State Department of Health, (b) Mr, A, L Coleman, Chief Industrial Hygienist, Conn, State Department of Hoalth, (c) Dr, LcRoy U, Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory, (d) Dr, Louis Schwartz, Medical Dircotor of the U, S, Public Health Servico, (o) Mr, B. F, Postman, Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Conn, Ifcfcto Department of Health, JFFjPON CC: Mossrs. General S. Simpson J. F. D, Rohrbach 0. H, Cillcy J, H, Matthews Asbestos & Rubber Company OCo 16