Document rpzJKjQazQ0oZeQgM6K2yz1R0

V - |(i I3^3 Note to Uenbers: Xx^ce ^V:/ ^'^>rrr^y 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. i April, 1940 Air Hygiene Foundation, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. _ U ud J REPORT ON NEW ENGLAND HEALTH INSTITUTE MEETINGS HELD AT HOTEL 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 reduce 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 tho following four properties: (a) chemical and physical (b) porticlo sizo (e) concentration (d) duration of exposure . In order to study tho chemical and physical properties of dusts, quantites of sample dusts are injected into animals, in this case rabbits, and thoir change in physical condition carofully studied. Injoctions of this type toll whother or not the sample used is injurious to health, but it gives no clue as to whether or not absorption through inhalation takes place or what quantities of tho sample would be necessary to result in illness. It has been dotorrainod that free silica dust is very harmful and oxtremo caro must bo taken to koop free silica dust from the lungs. Silicates, such as garnot, sillimonito and scricito, arc, on tho other hand, inert and are considcrod irritating and troublosomo but not toxic. Mixtures of puro minerals arc not as injurious as the pure minerals. Mixtures of silica and other substances are not particularly harmful until the quantity of froc silica is 50 per cent or over. Fibrous substances, as asbestos, cannot be studied by injoction. Tho particle sizo of injurious dust must be small enough to pass through the air duets loading to tho lungs. Silica pnrticlos under threo microns are dangorous. 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 takes years of oxposuro for chronic casos. In rapid cases whero the porccntago of froc silico is high, illness may result in about two yoars. 00311 2. Industrial Dermatitis - Incidence, cause, end 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 per cent of all occupational diseases. Compen- * sation cases resulting from dermatoses represent about 1 per cent of tho total cases reported; however, much lost timo is reported and meny persons are rendered temporarily non-productivo duo to skin infections. Synthetic resins account for about 7 l/2 per cent of all dermatitis eases. This knowlodge should bo of importance to us, tho Raybestos-Manhatton Comoany, inasmuch as we handlo quantities of those materials, as well as many irritating solvents and compounds* Rubber gloves should not be used more than necessary because they often cause dermatoses from perspiration and from fillers and compounds in the rubber glove itself# Susceptibility to skin diseases is, in general, classed as follows: (a) Negroes, brunettes, and Latins are less apt to bocomo infocted than white persons, blondos, and porsons of othor races* (b) Hairy men aro 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 the P-H, or acid-alkaline, balanco of tho perspiration. (d) A young porson or a new porson at a job is more apt to develop a dermatitis than an old hand who has built up rosistonco to infection* (o) Women aro less apt to havo skin infections than men, probably because they arc moro particular about their personal cloanlinoss than men are* Allorgy is a tora used to donotc increased susceptibility to skin in fections* Allorgios arc of two typos, inherited and contact. This latter type is produced in somo persons by repeated oxposurc to some irritant. Allergic persons should be removod from contact with the irritant and given jobs elsewhere* Wounds and skin abrasions arc oxccllcnt places for skin troubles to start and should be taken caro of immediately. The best safeguard against dermatoses is cleanliness of person and surroundings. Yfherc irritants must be handled, compulsory baths and clothe? changes arc rcconmendod* o co 13 The Use of Respiratory Protective Equipment in the Protection of the Worker's Hoalthl William P." Yant, 3. S., Directory of Research and Development, Mine Safety Appliance Company, Pittsburgh, Penn, ' Respiratory protective equipment is dividod into two genoral classes? ' (a) Emergency (b) Non-emergency The emergency typo of respirator is dosigned to be used where a person cannot exist and not become physically harmed for oven a vory short inter val of time, and is to be used, as the name implios, in emergency eases, such as fires, explosions, etc* Location of this typ of apparatus is im portant, since it may bo roachod and put on quickly in oaso of trouble* Emergency respirators ore usually solf-containod and aro not designed to work in easily or long but to sorvo the usor with oxygon or clean air, al though ho may be in a highly toxic or suffocating atmosphero* Tho group of non-emergency types of respirators are the kind used for general factory work where it is necossary for a man to work in atmospheres that might provo harmful to him if ho worked in this exposure over long periods of time* They aro dcsignod to render the air which he breathes clean enough, so that no illness will rosult from his occupation no matter how long ho works at it* . 1 Somo non-cmergoncy respirators arc merely air filters, removing only irritating, solid particles from the air* In using those rospirators, caro must be takon to have the proper respirator for tho type of dust in the atmosphero* Many of these respirators arc good enough for non-toxic dusts but arc not effective enough against toxics, such as lead, to prevent illness* ' Air containing snoke of finely suspended particles must be loaned through some special typo of filtoring or absorption, as well as air con taining vapors and fumes* It is tho problem of manufacturers maldng this typo of equipment to develop an all-purposo respirator but, since no such mrko of the non emergency typo is available, it is necossary that each problem bo studied carefully and tho proper rospirator usod for tho condition under considera tion* One of the biggest problems facing manufacturers today in regard to keeping thoir anployecs well is making the employees obey instructions* In the eases which wo aro now discussing, the problem is to mako the em ployees wear the rc-spirators* In issuing respirators to employees, some dofinito form of procedure should be followed: (a) Explain to the employee why h is expected to wear protective oquipment* 0 G '3 1 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 breatho involuntarily and easily in a respirator, if the respirator is properly designed. (c) Fit the rospirator to the employee's 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 omployco only, never swap or expect men to "take turns" with the same mask. (o) Havo "refills" acccssiblo to employees# (f) Insist that foremen and executives also wear protective dovicos when they are inspecting or supervising hazardous jobs# (g) Never ridicule a man's appearance when wearing a rospirator; never ridiculo a man for being afraid if ho is cautious or ovcr-cautious in regard to wearing a respirator. . 4# Engineering Methods of Occupational Disease Control. B. F. Postman, M. Industrial Hy^icno Engineer, Connecticut State Department of Health. Mr. postman's address served as a very fitting summing-up of tho In dustrial Section of tho Health Institute Mootings. Ho shewed very con clusively how proporly engineered jobs served to rcduco hazardous situations to a minimum. Operations producing either dust or smoko should be hooded and con nected to a fan so that oithcr the smoke or dust would bo drawn out of the room before it could either get on or bo breathed by tho operator. Mr. postman showed a number of slides picturing actual operations both before and after proper vontilr.ting systems had been installed. The wain obstacle which Mr. Postman's office meets in trying to get a manufacturer to moke a proper installation is the price of such an installation, its maintenance, and the cost of boating the air which is exhausted through tho system. Mr. Postman's argument against this is that by properly engineering theso installations, by locating properly dosigned suction orifices at tho propor places, the costs can bo cut to a minimum, in many eases to not over present ventilating costs with improper designs. Tho largest savings effected by properly oxhausting dust, vapcrc, and smokos is the reduction in compensation eases. 0 C 315 Properly engineered exhausing systems hnvo tho following bearing on tho control of occupational diseases; f (a) Dust and harmful vapors are largely eliminated, thus ; reducing tho number of diseases cuasod by then as discussod by Dr. Gardner. (b) The removal of those dusts is conducive to good housekeeping. Operators and Plant arc kept much cleaner, thereby reducing the demititis troubles reported by Dr. Schwartz* (c) By removal of a largo portion of dusts and vapors working spaces which arc not rendered ontirely free arc at least placed in a class where non-emergency types of respirators may bo used ?/ith perfect safety to operators* Tfith the exception of Mr. Ynnt's talk on Respirators, all of thoso addresses wore givon from illustrative slidos, which mad the lecturer's points very clear to tho listeners but also made noto-taking very difficult. The abovo report is, thoroforo, not as complcto as it might possibly bo, but in it I havo triod to cover the high spots of each talk* I had tho ploasurc and opportunity of mooting tho following men directly connoctcd with this Health Institute? (a) Dr* A* S* Gray, Director of tho Buroau ofOccupational Diseases, Connecticut Stato Department of Health* (b) Mr* A. L. Coleman, Chief Industrial Hygienist, Conn* State Department cf Health* (c) Dr. LcRoy U. Gardner, Director of Saranac Laboratory. (d) Dr. Louis Schwartz, Medical Director of the TJ* S. Public Health Sorvico. (o) Mr* B. P* Postman, Industrial Hygiene Engineer, Conn. Stfctc Department of Health. * JPFsPOH CC: Mossrs. S. Simpson J. F* D. Rohrbach 0. H. Cillcy J* H. Matthews General Asbestos k Rubber Company 0 G 3 16