Document RjXdgrZYD0aGp3qLp38YaEZnv

This office expects to havo information later about reprints in some cases where it is not on hand at present. Copies of Safety Engineering in cases where reurints from that periodical are not obtainable, cay be secured iron Safety Magazine Publishing Cur?., 4? John St., New York, at 25 cents each. 339. INVESTIGATION OP 7ACT0RS INFLUENCING DUST DETERMINATION MAPI 3Y THE IMPINGE?. METHOD, M. H. Kronenberg, A. N. Setterland and C, H. McClure. J. lad. Hyg. Toxicol. 12, 19S-20] (May, 1937) Comparison of darVrfield and lightfield examination of impiager samples is difficult on account of inconsistencies that develop in both methods, and an extensive study was cade by the authors to determine what method is best. With brightfield illumination one source of inconsistency is that with centered light many of the transparent particles, even as large as 10 microns, become invisible, nith oblique light, results'vary with the obliquity. The authors decided on darlaield illumination, cutting down, the substage iris diaphram until the field was at the maximum point of darlcvoss- where the Whipple grating was easily distinguished. A fixed distance from lamp to mirror and a fixed diaphragm opening was adopted, although some latitude is allowable. Two important factors that influence the accuracy of the darkfield count are the condition of the water used for blanks, and the precipitation of tiny air bubbles on the bottom of the Sedgwick _Rafter cell, especially in cold weather. Various procedures for preventing this precipitation were tried, and the re sults are presented in tabular form. The must consistent and satisfactory re sults were obtained by combined boiling and evacuating of the water and keep ing it above room temperature until the count is finished. Details of the procedure are given. Another factor that may greatly influence the count is the time elapsed be tween the start and finis:; of a dust count. A series of counts was made on dust from a plant where waste paper was graded and sorted. Iron the beginning of the counts, after the customary 20 minutes, the number of particles in creased fourfold in 2 l/Z hours, and 15 hours later they were too numerous to count. This was an extreme case, on account of the large amount of organic dust, but the tendency is always present. Further work along these lines is eminently desirable, leading to a standard procedure which all investigators can follow without too much variation in results. (Reprints may be grained from Dr. M.K.Kronenberg, Illinois State Dept, of Public Health, Chicago, 111.) ' 340. MENACE 01 DUST IN METAL MINING. D. Harrington. Eng. Min. J. jJS, 119-123 (Mar. 1937). The author emphasizes the importance of dust prevention and control as being the surest means to avoid dust damage and complications in metal-mining industry. Much information is now available relative to the effect of dust on the human body. The maximum harm to health from dust i~ caused by breathing silica dust, chiefly tree silica with its well-known effects on the lungs, mere is not a general belief that dust may be detrimental to all parts of the human system, including the skin. Ixplosibility of some mineral and organic dusts and the harmful effects of dust on vegetation and animals are other reasons for a determined effort to reduce dust evils. Fuller - 0009 Ref. to Rcc Lit. - 2 Some years ago the South Airtour, authorities go- standards of maximum ailc'>-- abiv air-dustiness ir. sir.es, without reference to silica content or particle sice, or any definite idea o: preventing occurrences of dust disease. From time to time South Africa announces that air-dustiness is leapt fairly rigid ly below the standard weight ar.d count of particles and that now eases of alter1s consumption arc practically uniciown. One difficulty in sotting a standard is that duct sampling :n.d determination devices and methotfe arc not applicable for every industrial condition, and: until methods ore so simpli fied for the use of the intelligent plant employe without depending or. the feu highly paid technical experts, the regulation on allowable air-dustir.esc will probably result in con:union and injustice. The quantity c: dust in haled determines its danger, but no one knows what constitutes the quantity- limit, although some of the so-called threshold limits are bcin.. embodied in State regulations and laws. It is illogical to predict dust respiratory he.mfulr.ess on a sliding scale in proportion to the frcc-silica content of the duct. No one knows whe-tner a particular dust containing 1 silica is or is not more harmful than one of 2 %, 3^, or It also depends on the immunity of the person and tno working basis. There are many factors thrt make unworkable a sliding scale regulation. With so many uncertainties the operating man is likely to be confused as to what constitutes a dusty atmos phere. If dust cannot be abolished entirely, it can be limited, and th; best remedy is the universal coursing of currents of air. Wet dust- prevention devices should supplant dry devices. Wator should be used in drilling and in sprinkling mine walls, etc. Where it is not feasible to re duce air-dustiness to reasonable proportions, dust respirators should be worn. These are not comfortable but give protection. However, tne Y/caring of respirators is usually evidence that the management has failed to utilize effective dust elimination measures. The writer advises careful and thorough examinations by competent doctors before a worker is employed in dusty occu pations. Such examinations should be made mandatory, and a physical examina tions of such workers should be given annually. Men v/orking in dusty trades suffer more froa respiratory troubles than do men who v/ork ir. clean air, but at present it is evident tr.ut the legal aspects of dust and its health affects are being accentuated before fundamental and sufficient knowledge has been developed on which to base lav/s ar.d regulations, so that many of the laws now operating will require amendment when dependable data are obtained. (Reprints are obtainable from the author, who is Chief of the Health and Safety 3rar.ch, U. S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, D. C. ) ;4l. TH2 SIMILARITY OF THE LESIONS PRODUCED 3Y SILICA AND BY TEE TUBERCLE BACILLUS. Leroy U, Gardner. Am. J. Pathol. 1J., 13-23 (1937)* The paper calls attention to the close similarity in the tissue response to silica and to the tubercle bacillus. It is remarkable that a simple inor ganic compound such as silica can set in motion a complicated series of__ cellular reactions comparable to those produced by a living organism made up of proteins, carbohydrates and lipoids, each of which are known to produce definite tissue reactions characteristic of tuberculosis. As the result of a detailed description of the various steps in the development of silicosis and tuberculosis, the author says in summary that "the simple organic sub stance, silicon dioxide, is capable of exciting every tissue response that can be produced by the complex organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The reaction to the latter is core uniform because its constitution is more or less constant and it soon establishes a limited equilibrium v/ith the tissues of the host. The reaction to silica is largely determined by the number and the size of the particles that come tc rest within a given focus of the body. Both irritants cause varying degrees of proliferation, exudation and necro sis, resulting in a nodular type of reaction,1' Fuller - 0010 ?.ef. to P.ce. Li*. - 3 3-. way of speculation on the cause of this similarity it would cccu that both irritants are relatively inscluablc, hut that perhaps both continually liber ate minute amount3 0: irritating substances. Possibly mechanical irritation by the undi-solved portion is also a factor, Tae stuay 01 paysicocncnical condition in the cells to account zor tnc similarity 0* oi.ects is suggested. The effect of silica in producing giant cells is at its greatest when the oarticls sizs is from 0.1 to 4 microns in diameter, which approximates that of organisms such as the tubercle bacillus. The mother also suggests that the dissolved silica f^rns a physical or chemical combination with collagen, which prevents its diffusion beyond the limits of the nodule, 'ion-siliceou;UsS particles produce r.c hyaline spelling of the collagenous fibers w-, enrr- ifity of the tuberculin reaction has again been confirmed, in that the test is negative wnen the nodule has not boon the result of tuberculous infection. Moreover, silica is not antigenic and intracutaneous injections produce the same effects in silicotic and in normal control animals. (Reprints may be obtained frem The Saranac Laboratory for the Study of Tuberculosis, Saranac Lake, N.Y.) 3U2. A BIOLOGIC TEST FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE FI3R0GZXETIC PROPERTIES OF DUST. C. ?. McCord, J. A. Easoer and . L. Brosius. C. State Med. J. 39^6. (Apr. 1937). The authors give instances of the confusion that prevails in the knowledge of silicosis and point out the need of a simple test - chemical, biologic or otherwise - which will accurately mark one dust as harmful and another as harmless. Such a test has been developed by Miller and Sayers and was applied by the authors. It consisted of injecting a sample of the dust in sterile solution into peritoneal cavity of an animal, such as a guinea pig, which was killed after 3$ 60 or 90 days, and the reactions were studied. Miller and Sayers found throe distinct types of reaction, which they named prolifera tive, absorptive, and inert. In 77 series of experiments with pure and mixed dusts, the authors found that in some cases the reactions were not as dis tinct as expected, and they ad:, two types which thoy call nixed and military proliferative. The distinction of the typos in some cases depended upon highly technical criteria. The size of the dust cay also affect the cellular response. Therefore the test has not reached the stage of practicability at which an experienced technician man make use of it, and additional work is necessary to eliminate uncertainties. (Dr, McCord may be addressed at Indus trial Health Conservancy Laboratories, 10 Fetcrboro St., Detroit, Mich., for reprints.) 3^3. DUST CONTROL IN THE FINE CERAMICS INDUSTRY. ?r. Prockat. Staub, #2, 175"201 (July, 1936) (German) The author calls attention to processes in the ceramic industry which^ure carried on in dangerous dusts; - (1) refining.and comminuting of raw mater ials; (2), turning, bordering and surfacing of dry crude porcelin; (3) dusting-off of dried porcelain by pneumatic pressure before glazing; (4) turning, shaping and drying of crude porcelain, indirectly producing dust, and (5) spraying for color or glaze. The importance of dust-control in this industry is shown in the fact that the German Pottery Insurance Society paid out more tr.an half its total income in 1933 fr persions and expenses, of severe silicosis. Prockat emphasizes the point that of a series of mechan isms tested, seme where found ineffective in controlling dangerous dust, and urges co-operation between v/orkers and the practical engineer in running the business economically and preventing silicosis. - Ceram. Aosts. Fuller - 00U 3A_:;SI?.0US THJSTS. J. 3. Hawes, 2nd, Hew J. Med. 2lS, 1 = 2 (Jar.. 2S. 19;7). The author insists that there is only one dangerous dust - thr.: ccr.tair.tr.* s^ ^ co~ in some x c m. e snows t..aw cocmsnsa^ic.. -c. c.^le^cd sl*.wsi^ ^s often obtained through isr.orar.cs or. the part of the reputable doctor or his desire to help his patient, or in scree rare cases, willingness or. the part of a physician to testify to a silicotic condition about which ha knows no thing, in order to m.ikn a fee and thirdly, through the sharp practice of un scrupulous lawyers and the ignorance of the workingman. Street dust is not harmful, except fer the gems that nay be in-it, and dust from. cotton and wool manufacture is also not a cause of silicosis. Some people are strongly allergic, and or. entering a cotton or waul mill night have ar. acute rhinitis for a few days, but this does not near, that cotton and wool dusts are danger ous at all. In the soft coal industry a worker cay develop anthracosis, but this is not a disablin. disease and does not predispose hie to tubercu losis. If a coal worker does got silicosis, it is from the granite or rock ir. wrier, hard coal is imbedded. Silicon is a comon and widely distributed ele ment, and it is only when found in excessive amounts that it becomes dangerous. The writer is of the opinion that asbestos dust is the most dangerous of all dusts, but that asbeatotis is a relatively new disease about which up to the present very little is known, except that it does not seem to correspond to the laws of silicosis in general, and that it can produce disability in a remarkably short time. The author insists that diagnosis of dust disease shall be used on history of exposure as well as on clinical symptoms, X-ray and if possible an inspection of working conditions. (Reprints nay be ob tained from Dr. Hawes, at 33^ Dartmouth St., Boston, Mass.) 3U5. THE ETIOLOGIC, DIAGNOSTIC, AI3 MSLIC0L3GAL PROBLEMS OP OCCUPATIONAL DISSAS5S. C, 0. Sappingtoa. 111. State lied. J. (7e'o. 1937); lad. Med, 6, Ip7-l64 (Mar. 1937) This paper, presented at a meeting of the Illinois State Medical Society, em phasizes the need of better knowledge of the causes of industrial diseases, a need which is especially acute in Illinois on account of the new Occupational Disease Law. Two errors and fallacies into which physicians, engineers and employers often fall are pointed out; (l) assuming the presence of silicosis when a history of dust exposure is given and (2) reliance on visual condi tions to determine the presence of dust, and even of vapors and lead fumes. Both can be avoided by the use of known scientific methods. Diagnosis, also, involves problems as difficult as those of etiology, especially in differen tiation of industrial from non-industrial diseases. Specific published proce dures for making proper distinctions are cited for specific published procecedurcs for examination of the body and its fluids are now at our disposal, but undoubtedly great impetus will be given to extension of that field. Pre-employment and periodic examinations are really diagnostic problems and must undergo considerable adjustment and improvement if good results are to be obtained in their application to specific problems. The examining ohvsician would be better equipped if he knew (1) the nature of past or expected exposure; (2) the effect of this exposure or. the physical states of employees, and(3) the nature and efficiency of the protective devices used. The chief medicolegal issues in occupational disease problems arise because of defic iency in etiological information and consequent errors in diagnosis. This situation oust be corrected by better knowledge, because the liability of the employer must be determined fairly to all concerned. The definition of occu pational disease in the Illinois law is quoted. By way of summary the author urges progress in the fields already noted, also greater opportunity for study* of industrial environment on the part of physicians and medical stu dents, and raising the standards of industrial medicine by the establishment of qualifications of .men who are to be leaders in the field and the recogni tion of industrial medicine as a specialized field. (Reprints are obtainable Fuller - 0012 r.cf. to P.eo. Li*. -- :>i occupational liszasi situation, past, ppzsznt aid puttfe. c. ter.. At. heiress abstracted in Ind. Ued. 6, 35-o (Feb. 15?7) The author divides the history of the knowledge of occupational diseases into three periods, manely, ancient, medieval and modem. The ancient period ex tended to the depression, anc may be also called the stage of guesswork and hysteria. Occupational disease is not as spectacular as crippling and bulling by mechanical forces, and little attention was paid to it. Then came the degression, bringing many spurious cases which placed a great burden on indus try. These factors produced bogies of unrest. Our present experience con stitutes the medieval period, or the stage of reality, characterized by a swing to the factual, with the introduction of compensation legislation in Uo states, its passage in a few, and the development of plant surveys and X-ray and clinical laboratory tests. The modern period, or stage of progress, is now beginning. The author predicts that occupational disease legislation will be general in the United States within five years, that physical exam inations be universal within 10 years, and that there will bo an increased ure of surveys and studies of industrial environment. The most important sources of occupational disease are listed as dust, poison ous metals, gases, vapors and solvents, and skin irritants. In an extensive survey made by the United States Public Health Service in 193^. the chief exposures in order of frequency were inorganic dusts, carbon monoxide and lead. The author emphasises a distinction made in the report of that survey, be tween the words exposure and hazard. The employer must lmow the extent of hazard, as well as exposure, in his plant, examine his men before and during employment, correlate cause and effect factors from scientific study, and control or eliminate the hazard or furnish adequate protection. In short, "management must know its men, materials, methods and machines. The occupa tional disease situation.....................presents difficulties no greater than ar.y other industrial problem if seme amounts of time and money and quality of brains are used as have been qpplied in the past to comparable industrial situations." (See note on preceding abstract.) 3'-7. PKA3MAC0L0GICAL INVESTIGATIONS ON COLLOIDAL SILICA. G. Leone and T. Santi, Pass, terap. patol. clir*. S, 176-90,(1936) (Italian) A report on tests carried out or. pure, stable 0.50 $ colloidal solutions of silica. In dogs and cats intravenous injection of 5-10 eg. of colloidal silica decreases blood pressure and also the number and amplitude of pulsations, even in atropinized or vagotomized animals. In case of the heart in situ of cold-blooded animals, there is a decrease in rate and an increase in anpli- ' tude. On strips of small intestine of mammals the silica first produces a decrease in the contractile amplitude followed by marked hypotonia and paral- ysis; the same is true of earthworms; in both cases the changes take place after atrepinization. From the results obtained as regards circulatim: the heart and smooth musculature, even after atropinization, it is con cluded that colloidal silica exerts a depressing action in small doses and a paralyzing action at toxic doses, on all organs and tissues that were stud ied. This action is cf a muscular nature. - Chec. Absts. Fuller - 0013 Ref. to Rec. Lit. - 6 qUANTITAVZ MINSRALOGICAL XS? ANALYSIS. J. H. Kelmers and H. Udluft. Zeiss Nachr. (2) So. 1, 1-I0(y,ayt 153=) (Oernan) The minerals in a dust are first ascertained qualitatively 'cr.der the polaririn microscope. After a comparison of their refractive indices, the sample is introduced into a Zeiss icon meter with attached dust chamber ar.d a lC-ficld object plate. The first dust spot.. Ls photographed under a micro scope with a polarizing attachment. After adding one of the suitable eabodding fluids the spot is photographed again. A third picture is taker, under crossed nicols, and a fourth after turning the object stage 4^0 . Other spots are treated similarly. A large scale enlargement of one of the pictures and the othors arc projected over it, marLing identified miner als on the enlargement with crayon. (Carl Zeiss, Inc., 4S5 Fifth Ave., New York, havo a limited number of copies of the Zeiss Nachrichten for May, 1936, containing the original German article, with an English abstract somewhat fuller than the above.) 3U5. PNEUMOCONIOSIS IN SOUTH WALES COAL MINERS AND ITS RELATION TO TUBERCULOSIS. Prafulla Xumar Sen. J. Ind. Ryg. Toxicol., 19, 225-257. (June, 1937) The author reports an extensive study of 100 cases of pneumoconiosis in the South Wale3 coal field, including analysis of industrial, family and pre vious histories, physical and radiological examination, blood counts, and sputum tests. The patients included 47 hordground workers, 43 hewers, 7 screeners and 3 without detailed history. Since hordground workers consti tute a small minority of the men employed, the high incidence of pneumocon iosis among these workers is strilang. Previous complaints of bronchitis, pleurisy and iafluenca were common among the men examined. Tuberculosis was present in a number of those reporting those disoascs. Dyspnea was the most frequent of the present symptoms. Once it started, its progress was very rapid while the miner was worming. The average period from the onset of dysp nea to disability was 2 years. Clubbing of the fingers v*as present in 1-5 % of the cases. Pulse-rate was higner than normal, especially in hordground workers. In genoral, physical chest signs were aeagro compared with under lying pulmonary lesions; persistent crepitation, however, was very signifi cant . In the radiological examination, mottling in various stages was present in all cases. Eight presented features of active tuberculosis and the bacilli were detected in 4 mere, while tuberculosis was suspected' in IS additional. Ir. the bleed tests, Von Bonsdurff's count genorally was lower and sedimenta tion rata lower than normal. Blood tests supplrted by other findings indi cated the possibility of tuberculosis in 23 % of the "probable" cases, in addition to the "definate" cases. Of the 12 "definite" cases of tuberculosis, 7 had no constitutional symptoms, suggesting that the disease was somehow modified. If the "probable" ~csies are included, the incidence of tuberculosis is 35$, which is high, but the evidence on "probable" cases is not conclusive. This investigation shows that there is a high incidence of tuberculosis among the pneumoconiotics of the South Wales coal field and supports the theory that coal dust modifies the toxicity of tuberculosis, leading to failure to recognize the disease or to the mistaken diagnosis of bronchitis1." (Reprints are not obtainable. The June number of the Journal xor Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology may be obtained from Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, Md, for 57 cents.) Fuller.' 0014 350. ,to Rec. tit. - 7 MINES' PHTHISIS MEDICAL BUREAU SOUTH AFRICA, 1933-1535- L. 0. Irvine. Chairman. Johannesburg* June }C, 153)* 76 pages. The "new Hand miners", that is, those who have entered the industry since the initial examination system of 132o went into fleet, now constitute nearly 72% of the total miners but contribute only 12% of the 19; cases of silicosis detectod. The average age of new cases is steadily rising, exceeding **9 l/2 in 1935. These facts demonstrate the groat improvement in working conditions that has taken placo at the Rand Mines has been'"attempted on a cuch greater scale than in the United States or elswherc. For instance, 22,000 European miners were examined in 133--5- Tables axe given shotting the relations of number of the cases to age and length of service. The relation of silicosis to nature of the work was also studied, with special reference to men operating machine drills. "The liberal application of water has not prevented, to the extent that had been hopod, the dissemination of the finest dust particles (from 1 or 2 microns downwards) which are produced by drilling." Additional investigation of drilling dust problems is now being conducted. The effects of high temperature and humidity oust always be kept in mind. A large percentage -,f the deaths are from "simple silicosis'1, in contradiction to frequent statements that simple silicosis is rare. (So far as we know at present, the original report can be obtained most easily through G. E. Stechert and Co., 31 Z. 10th St., Now York City, The price given is 5 shillings.) 351. REPORT OP MINERS1 PHTHISIS MEDICAL BUREAU OP THE UNION OP SOUTH APEICA POR 3 YEARS ENDED JULY 31 1935* U. G. Irvine, Chairman, Government Printer, Pretoria, 1936* Reviewed in Lancet 272. 76*4-5 Ofar* 27, 1937). This report is apparently a different publication from the preceding one but covers much the same ground, calling attention to the elaborate records kept since the Bureau was inaugurated and the improvements that have taken place during that time. Native laborers undergo initial, periodical and final examinations, which arc carried out by 4s medical officers on the medical staff of the mines. The task is onerous because 90 % of the labor force is replaced each year. On account of the preponderance of active tuberculosis cases, Dr. Irvine emphasizes the importance cf using every possible effort to eliminate cases of communicable tuberculosis among mine workers and to control every condition that fosters infection. Although prophylactic mea sures have accomplished cuch, there is still much to be done, and any further improvement will have to come from the technical side of dust prevention The entire problem is now being reinvestigated, and the thermal precipitator is proving offidient in this work.- Tables of occurrence of occupational disease are given, including silicosis, tuberculosis, and silicosis v/ith tuberculosis. (See note on preceding abstract. Price is not given for this one.) 352. REPORT OF THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 1935-36. H.M Station ery Office, London, 1937* This report contains references to a number of investigations bearing on industrial health.. One is work of Pransnitz on the allergic effects of cotton dust, which is still prevalent in the textile industry, in spilS of remedial measures that have been undertaken. Desensitization does not promise to relieve the situation, and the solution probably depends either on the use of respirators or the application of some new means for collecting the smaller particles (under 2 microns) before they enter the general air of the room. Fuller - 0015 Continuation of the experiments on exposure of mice to dust from tarred roads showed that tar-free dust docs not have the tumo r-d r odueing effect found with the original dust. The experiments are being extended to rabbits . and guinea-pigs. Siailiar experiments are boing uncertainn on the effects o: carbon deposits from internal cor.buSion engines using heavy oil fuel. Other investigations include the study of medical after-histories of old and retired coal miners. The syrrptomless type of tuberculosis in elderly pr.eu- moconiotics has been found to progress rapidly wr.cn it reaches tho stage where bacilli arc found in tho sputum. The effects of pneumoconiosis is being studied. An iniquiry into the substitution of alumina for silica as a placing material in pottery work shoves no evidence of fibrosis from alum ina. (This is treated more fully in another abstract.) (Obtainable from the Medical Research Council, London, or through G, 2, Stochert & Co., price 3 shillings). 353. ESTIMATION 0? OUST II? MINE ATMOSPHERES. A. M. Bryan and J. Smellie. J. Roy. Tech, Coll. (Glasgow) part 4 (l) 671-81,(1936). There are two ways of determining the amount of dust i:t the air in mines: particle counting and filtration followed by v/cighing. The first method, although rapid and convenient, is not a very exact one, because the particles are very small and often very dense so that it is impossible to a com plete and satisfactory count; also one cannot determine the proportion of com bustible matter. The second method of filtering is longer but much more exact. Tables of results are given. 354. THE SUPRES3I0N 0? DUST DURING DRILLING UNDERGROUND. Colliery Guardian 154. 535-92 (3-25-1937). It has been shc?/n that the leakage of air into the water supply used ir. wet drilling produces excessive dust and nullifies the advantages that wet drilling is supposed to provide. This article includes brief descriptions of several forms of apparatus claimed to avoid tnat difficulty by supplying a constant stream of water through the drill. (No reprints are obtainable. A copy of the magazine is obtainable through G. E. Stechert & Co., 31 E. 10th St,, New York City). 355* "OAD DUST, T. 3. Loftheim. Medd. Verdirektrcn, Oslo, 1936. 65-68 (Norv/cgian). In dust from different roads more than 50$ of the particles had. diameters too small for ultramicroscopical measurement; the remainder had a mean size of 2-3 microns and wore composed of pear-shaped or spherical forms of pyroxene, feldspar, quartz and hornblende. The content of organic matter was 7*67 - 10.75$ - Brit. Chcm. Absts. 356. DUST. 2d. Smolozyk. Gasmasks 8_, 16-19 (193&) (German) A brief but excellent review of tne dust problem. Among the points dis cussed are the sources of dust, the amount of dust in various locations, the loss of valuable products in the form of dust, the properties of dust par ticles, the physiological damage caused by dust, the body mechanism to protect against dust, and diseases due to dust - Chcm. Absts. (We ha^e as yet r.o information on reprints, but the issue of the periodical contatning the pages mentioned may be obtained tnrough G. 2. Stechert & Co.) Fuller - 0016 #tei. to Lit- - b *357. --a psTpcr[ "XLZ PLANS TCP. Z2KAUST AND VELATiCii oYi.aMo. Jcon H, Vogt, lad. Bull, lb, IY6-1-0 (April, 1537). The autr.or calls attention to the requirements for prevention of pollution c: air in workrooms, in the new Labor Law of Lew York. All macr.inery creating dust and otner isuuriti.ts must be equipped with proper hoods end pipes con nected to an exhaust far. of sufficient power to remove adequately such d*unt or incurivies. The fur. rust oc in constant operation while the machinery is in use. Furthermore. ail gases, fumes, vapors, dusts or other impurities must be removed at their point of origin where'practicable. The employer car. male adcequate pirns for the necessary changes by submitting proposed plans to the Laser Leparta-at and get tr.c benefit of disinterested and competent advice from experienced engineers. Directions for preparing the plans and specifications are given. (The larch nunbor of the Industrial Bulletin is obtainable from the Industrial Commissioner, State Qffico Building, Albany, II.Y. . for 10 cents each, or a reprint of the article may be obtained from the same source at that price or-less.) 358. , DUST CONTP.OL RUIZS NOV; EFFECTIVE IN ROCX-DRILLINO 0P3DUTI0US. (In No?: fcac) Ind. Bull. l6, 171-174 May, 1337) The rules for dust control and testing of apparatus became effective May 1 and are embodied in Industrial Code Bulletin No. 33. Silica-bearing rock is divided into two classes, containing under and over 10$ free silica, respect ively. In working with Class I rock (under 10$ silica) ICO million particles per cubic foot, as determined by the icpinger, are permitted; while in Class II the maximum permissible count is 10 million per cubic foot. Dust control methods arc specified as suction or exhaust, wet or others approved by the Industrial Board. Notice must be given the Industrial Commissioner advising as to the location and date of starting work. All approved dust control equipment and methods oust be tested and approved in the specified manner, and full directions for conducting the test are included. The test period for dry drilling consists of two three-hour shifts, and 3 dust samples are to be taken with the iapingcr during the last 2 hours of each shift. For r/et dril ling only one shift is accessary. The operations to which the new rules ap ply include all public as well as private works in New York State, and the driving of the tunnel for tnc Delaware Aqueduct supplementing New York City's water supply will be the largest single operation affected. (Industrial Code Bulletin No. 33 is obtainable from the Industrial Commissioner, State Office Building, Albany, N. Y., presumably free to Nov. York residents at least, and the May number Industrial Bulletin may be secured from the sane office for 10 cents cash). 359. ^ST CONTROL DEVICZS TESTED. Safety Eng. 73, 43-4, (June, 1337). A description of the tests being made at Letchworth Village, N. Y. by tnc Nov/ York State Department of Labor. Specifications for equipment and--Information to be furnished are given in briefer form than in the Bulletin men tioned in the preceding abstract. 360. EFFICIENT FLY-ASH COLLECTION. Stanley 3rovm. ?0Y/cr Plant Eng. 4l, 121-22, ?eb., 1937). There are two methods of estimating the value of a fly-ash eliminator; its overall collection efficiency, regardless of particle size, and it effic iency with the minimum, size stated. Some engineers in this country use the first method, but on the Continent, v/here many more eliminators have been installed, a lower limit of 30 or 20 microns, corresponding to the `nuisance range', is specified. A table shows tnat a 20-micron particle will travel 3.5 miles at a wind velocity of 5 mi. per hour, while falling 200 feet, Fuller - 0017 ^360 Kec. -- - .'.0W while a 2-ricrcn particle will trave 1 U2S riles 'ur.der the same conditions, The author argues for consideration of the "auisur.ee range" ir. the estimation of the cfficior.cy of collectors, wr.e a the object of collodion is removal c: tr.c r.uisar.Cc hazard. When the dust is collected for its value the overall efficiency should apply. (Mimeograp hed copies are obtainable roc the author, Buell Engineering Co., 10 Pir.o St. , 'Jew York City.) HI23 ORDINANCE INCREASING COMPENSATION 0? OCCUPATIONAL DISEASE,5 IJ GERMANY. M . Bauer. Rcicnarbeitsblatt, Jo. }o, pt. 4,`^T' pp. Berlin, 13 ;c. (ltjO r* r 1 he new ordinance relating to occupational diseasos ir. 'Germany went into effect April 1, 193 superseding the second ordinance of Feb. 11, 1929- . Several industries are added to the list of cocponsable diseases, including all the ceramic industries, sandblasting, and operations for cleaning cast ings and colds; asbestosis in the asbestos trades and lung cancer in the chrocium industries. "Severe" silicosis is still the only fore of silicosis insured against, but characteristics of the disease for clinical roentgenolo gical and judicial estimation are definitely specified, thus abolishing hitherto vexatious ccaplications. Severe silicosis accocpanied by pulmonary tuberculosis requires only the establishment of the severe silicosis in diag nosis. Silicosis has stood at the peak of claims for occupational disease compensation, since 1929* In 1934 out of 1043 cases, 522 were silicosis; in 1935. out of ll6l cases, 627 were silicosis, with l46 deaths from this oause in 1935* - Ceram. Absts. 362. SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF CERAMIC POWDERS AS DETERMINED 3Y A PARTICLE-SIZE AIR ANALYZER. Paul S. Roller. J. An. Ceram. Soc. 20, 164-174 (May, 1937). The air separation method for powders has a number of advantages over the use of liquids, and the author has made an extensive study leading to the dev elopment of an accurate air separator, the latest form of which overcomes the difficulties encountered previously. The essential features of the pres ent apparatus lie primarily in the dynamic relationship between the powder sample and the air jet such that the powder is in constant uniform motion against the force of the jet, and secondarily in the means for baffling the jet before it enters the settling chamber. Construction of tnc apparatus, method of operation, and operating characteristics are described. Particle-size analyses beginning with the 0 to 5 micron fraction are given for flint, feldspar, pyrophyllite-auartz, two English china clays, and talc. The size distributions are compared, and the tine of fractionation, accuracy, and precision are discussed. Seme properties of the size fractions are described, and the use of the instrument in the control of grinding is indi cated. From the authors summary. (Reprints are obtainable from the author, Nonmetallic Minerals Experiment Station, U. S. Bureau of Mines, New Brunswick, N. J.) 363. LIGHTING IN MINES: NOTES Oil THE EFFECT OF DUSTS. T. D. Jones and W.=s^ Gyles. Colliery Guardian 154, 765-71 (4-23-1937) The authors present the results of expernints on a phase of the dust hazard that has not been considered sc fully as others, that of effect of dust .on illumination. The illumination in one case was reduced by nine-tenths after 5 minutes' hard continuous shoveling by 9 non. The importance of keeping the well-glass clean is also shown. A loss of lighting efficiency was brought ab^ut by substituting cadmium yellow or daylight blue bulbs under both nor mal and dusty conditions. Incidentally it was shown that although limestone is much harder to get into suspension than coal dust, a mixture of coal and lime dust settlos out core slowly than coal dust alone. It was also learned that the dust raised by shoveling was of a smaller particle size than that resulting from the introduction of artificially prepared dust into the blow er section. (Obtainable only in the above magazine.) Fuller - 0018 Ref. to R.ec. U. uss c? sound and surerso?;:: kay in metallurgy. rx?: tune. ~cg a:w smoke. v. :-o schalk and K. W. St. and Met. IS, 2^--6 (May, 1537)* ' The use of acoustic waves for precipitating smelter smoke has been under in vestigation in the 3ureau of Mines several years. This paper gives a brief but clear explanation of the principle,, a brief history of the devel opment of apparatus, uses of the 'principle--in-metallurgy and summary of the results accomplished so far. The principle has not reached the stage of practical application, but it is effective on a laboratory scale. Earlier uses of these waves in metallurgy include making dispersions of metals in melts, modifying the structure of metals crystallizing from melts or being deposited electrolytically, 'uniform distribution of carbon and other materials, and removal of gases in molten metals before solidification. In the work on coagulation of snefce, the vibrating nickel tube has been used, but the air-jet generator has been found most effective. 3oth forms of apparatus arc described. (Reprints are obtainable from Dr. Gottschalk, U. S. Bureau of Mines, College Park, Md.) 365. DISTRIBUTION 0? RESPIRATORY GASES IN A CLOSED BREATHING CIRCUIT. I. IN NORMAL SUBJECTS. II. PULMONARY PI3R03IS, H. C. Lassen, A. Coumand and D. IS. Richards, Jr. J. Clinical Invest. 16, l-l6 (Jan. 1937)* Breathing tests were made in a closed room, showing the content of inspired and expired air, the carbon dioxide excreted and o^gen absorbed per breath, . and the composition of inspired gases within the lungs. The cases of fibros is included one of pulmonary emphysema and one of chronic sinusitis. In both cases tests showed an unequal distribution of gases in the lung, which, made it practically impossible to obtain reliable measurements of residual air with the method of quiet breathing in a small circuit, as used in the investigation. Charts and taoles are given. The experiments are being con tinued. 360. PNEUMONIA AND TUBERCULOSIS AMONG INDUSTRIAL WORKERS AND THEIR DEPENDENTS. C. K. Kibbey. Am. J. Pub. Health 2, 555-559. (Jnne, 1937). This paper presents the results uf a statistical study of pneumonia and tuber culosis among the employees .,1 one company and their dependents, over a period of 11 years. Many of the existing state compensation laws are far in advance of precise knowledge and are based on opinion rather than scien tific fact; therefore such studies as the one reported are much needed. The population of 77.000 persons over the period covered was divided as follows; (l) dependents, including all males under 16 years and dependent females of all ages; (2) surface workers; (3) coal miners, and (4) ore miners. The number of workers was known from the pay rolls, but the number of dependents was estimated at 3 for each wage earner. The incidence of pneumonia is, the dependents, surface workers and coal miners did not differ greatly from the percentage of the total population. The ore miners, however, who constituted 2.3 of the population, contributed 5*2 $ of the pneumonia cases. The death rates are expressed in a way which makes the picture vived: "It has taken 1,554 dependents each year to furnish 1 pneumonia death and 2, 9&5 for each death from tuberculosis: of each 663 surface workers, 1 ha3 died annually from pneumonia, and it has required 1, 7&9 to furnish 1 tuberculosis death. Coal miners have had 1 death per year from SO3 persons and 1 for tuberculosis from 6S7 and while 5^5 ore miners have contributed 1 annual pneumonia death, it has required C07 ore miners for each death from tuber culosis." In separating the- data for white and colored workers, some curious discrepancies appear in that although white surface 'workers have a somewhat higher pneumonia death rate than colored, the reverse is true among coal FuJler - 0019 Q Hef. to Hoc. Lit. 12 miners and in oro minors the rate for colored workers is several tines treater than for white workers. (Reprints are pro'oa'oly octaimcle iron Cr. Hiobey, Dent, of Ser'.tatiuu, Tennessee Coal, iron ana Hail read. i*o. , Pairlield, Ala.) 367. HEALTH Z'ZZUIZS 0? INDUSTRY. Leverett 2. Lrls-tol, Safety Eng. 7J, 25-31. (March, 13J7). This is a general article on r.ealth conservation, sickness and accident prevention at work, at hone an: on the r-.ad. More personal injury accidents occur off duty than or., and e.nployers, employees, home and family groups should co-operate to dispel ignorance and indifference in the use of home facilities and equipment. Coiiimunicablo diseases should be faithfully re ported and controlled, erosir.ations and diagnosos of tuberculosis should be more complete and through, and prevention of occupational diseases should receive expert attention; because those are often slow in onset and very difficult to treat. Constant guard must be maintained against the various poison hazards in industry, and personal hygiene must be stressed. Kov/cver, preaching health conservation the the employe is not of much use if the foreman or supervisor is net health-minded; therefore the key person in the industrial health program should.be the a-upervising foreman or lo cal canager. (Dr. 3ristol is Health Director of the American Telephone and Telegraph co., New York, but we have no information about reprints.) 36S. COMPENSATION AND INDUSTRIAL DISEASE. Thomas H. Bartlett. Safety Eng. 21. 59-60 (March 1937). 59-oO (April 1937). The basic principles of compensation go back to the year 63^ when King Rothari of the Lonbards codified a set of rules to give compensation to his subjects hurt in bravis, fights and feuds. The development of industry in the United States gave birth to our workmen's compensation la?/s, first for accidents and later.for occupational diseases, now often including silicosis and asbestosis. Tacre is great difficulty in estimating compensation for occupational disease, often through ignorance, conflicting testimony, misrepresentation/^Srious other factors. Khere life, limb and disablement are involved, prevention and not remedy is the solution. Preventive legis lation should be enacted at the same time as compensation legislation. Records of employment should be kept, and periodical examinations, strict enforcement of rules and instruction should be included. Many accidents happen through a violation of express rules. With the cooperation of the employer and employe and tne education of both parties in a well-organized movement of prevention, ouch progress in better health conditions will be effected. 369. CHEMICALS AND INDUSTRIAL HEALTH. Manfred BoTfditch, Safety Eng. 23,* 13"1^ (March 1937). A brief report of a survey of various industries made by the Massachusetts Division of Occupational Hygiene, including storage battery, paints and varr.ishes, wood heel covering, boot and .shoe woolen and >7orsted goods, rub ber products, and chlorinated aaphthleno. (Mr. Bowditch, Director, Depart ment of Industrial Hygiene, Massachusetts Department f Labor, Boston, Mass., will supply reprints of this brief review, but the official report, to be published later, will treat the subject more fully.) Fuller. - 0020 ^Ref. to Roc. Lit. - 13 37G. CHROMIUM PLATING - A HEALTH HAZARD. Safety Eng. 21. 20(-`*sr. 1937). The orocess of chromium plating involves serious hazards for the -.Yorkers, but health risks may te eliminated if ventilating ar.d sanitary measures are observed. Chromium compounds produce ulcers of the skin and affect the mu cous aeobrano of the nose and throat. These are painful injuries and diff icult to cure. Proper protection and adequate and prompt medical attention must be provided. Testing of the air is important, arid is made with the impingor, collecting the chromate spray in a sodium carbonate solution. The United States Public Health Service is in a position to render complete in formation concerning the proper practices to prevent injury to health in the chromium industry. Two bulletins for plant display, giving precautions and treatment, are illustrated. 371. THE POSSIBILITY OF MANGANESE POISONING- IK LINING PYROLUSITE. K. 3. Buettne'r and S. Lenz# Saara. v. Vergiftungsf., S_, 1-2 (1937)* Porty-four manganese nine workers were examined. Parkinsonian tremor showed in 25 the cases, among which was one severe case and eitht cases of mask-like expression (this was rather a large nunfsr of abortive forms of man ganese poisoning). Five cases showed a retarded pulse, and in six cases there was vestibular extrasystoles. Of 4o miners who died during a period, of 10 years, 23 died of lung inflammation, and the course of the disease was unusually malignant. Silicosis, first and second stages, was found in 26 of the 4s examined. 372. OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS AND THE PAINTER VrITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NSW YORK, Adolph 3. Gersh. K. Y. District Council no. 9. Brotherhood of Painters, Decarators and Papcrhar.gers of America, New York, 1937* The hazards discussed include accidents, with statistics from compensation records and occupational diseases. The high d-ath rate fur painters, which is twice as high for house painters as for factory painters, is largely explaind by the excessive exposure to poisonous substances such as lead, benzene, turpentine, aniline, alcohols, toluene, sylene and arsenic. The abnormally high rate occurs, especially in heart disease, tuberculosis, pneumonia, nephritis, cerebral hemorrhage and ulcer. The effect of the development of the spray machine and the official investigations regarding it are discussed. The last half 01 the bulletin is devoted to a discussion of costs of these hazards to the worker and to society and a critical study of compensation problems. (Copies are obtainable at the above address, possibly at a small charge.) 373* THE PROBLEM OF THE FATE OF MERCURY FUMES AND MERCURIAL COMPOUNDS IN THE OR GANISM. I. Gelman and G. Dcrviz. J. Ind. Kyg. Toxicol. 1^, 215-24, (June, 1937). In the clinic, two types of mercury poisoning must be distinguished: == (a) chronic mercurial poisoning produced by inhalation of mercury fumes, and (b) mercury intoxication with injury to the excretory organs (saliva, kid neys, etc.) observed in poisoning with mercuric salts. This difference is caused by the difference in physical-chemical states of mercury and in the fate of fumes and salts in the organixm. This difference is established ex perimentally. Mercury, fumes are preserved in the blood in a state of atomic dispersion for a long time, the length of which requires further study. Mercury salts, on the other hand, enter into complex combination with blood albumins. (Reprints are not obtainable. See note on abstract No. 349.) gutter -0021 Ref. to Hoc. Lit. - lU 574. ^retention o? lead sickness in manufacture or r:: C. Stuermer. Reran. Rundschau -.it -65-0 (l$}o) (German) Seme large German firms have devel ooed lead silicate compounds of known cornposition and very small tolerance, intended for every kind of ceramic glace, Manipulation of these compounds is free from danger. Although the lead content of some of these mixtures is lower, the appearance is better than with former mixtures. 375. THE USE OT A GZIG2R-MUZLLZH COUNTER FOR DETECTING SHALL AMOUNTS 0? RADIUM STORED IN RADIUM ViOHEIZS. E. 0. Rraaten and J. D. Leitch. J. Ind. Hyg. Tox icol. 193-7 (MAy, 1937) The Oeigsr-Mueller counter, which has been successfully used in locating lost radium, was used in an investigation of workers employed at a radium extrac tion plant. The results have little significance as far as the storage a' radium in the body is concerned, but they show a greater contamination of the clothing than was expected, and a further examination of that point will be made, when more exacting precautions will bo taken. It is suggested by the authors that exposure to lov intensity gamma radiation may play an im portant part in causing the anemia reported among radium workers. (Reprints may be obtained from the author, Division of Industrial Hygiene, Ontario 'Dept, of Health, Toronto, Ont.) 376. CAR30N MONOXIDE IN EAT INDUSTRY. May R. Mayers & Urn. J. Burks. Ind. Bull. 16, (March, 1937)* The hat-blocking industry in New York City has for some time presented a spe cial problem in industrial hygiene, as a number of workers have been overcome by carbon monoxide gas. The chief source of carbon monoxide is the gasheated hydraulic blocking machine. The machinos were originally designed for steam heating, but the steam jacket is used as a combustion space for the gas, with specially adapted types of burners. Since the illuminating gas supplied contains 25 i> of carbon inunoxide, atmospheric contamination may arise either from unburned gas cr incomplete combustion. The three types of burners used axe described and evaluated. The oarliest and most used, the "pipe stem'1 is especially productive of carbon monoxide. The "barber jet" burner offers some improvements, but is not entirely satisfactory. The "bat wing", in which the flame does not impinge on metal parts has been found to be perfectly safe. It is also recommended that no alterations be made in the adjustment of the burners, whc-n they are once installed, and that they be kept in repair through the cooperation of the gas company* (The Industrial Bulletin is obtainable for 10 cents, cash, from the Industrial Commissioner, New York Stato Department of Labor, Albany, N. Y.) 377. INDIRECT EFFECTS 0? CARBON MONOXIDE. John P. McNabb. Safety Eng. 13^7-S, (March, 1937). The writer shows that accidents through carbon monoxide poisoning are in creasing and questions whether the sxuny accidents attributed to poor driving judgment are not attributable to carbon monoxide. According to the U. S. Bureau of Mines, 0.04$ is themaximum to which a person can be exposod for ar. hour. Enough gas emanatesfrom every car, nomatter how well constructed to kill a human being in lessthan six minutes. It is notable that traffic policemen after several hours on duty, often become irritable, and in busy sections often complain of headaches. Taxidrivers and others have been found dead in their cars, with the engines running. There are more deaths now than in the pre-motor age, from heart ailments, and mcrorists who have been Fuller -0022