Document rzpV31KKp4GjYX6grD9jQv30

FILE NAME: Talc (TALC) DATE: 1951 Apr DOC#: TALC006 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Abstract from the Bulletin of Hygiene Talcosis Pulmonum 402 BULLETIN OE HYGIENE April, 1951 as t it the ic-it ol (he pulmonary tissues. No tubercle bacilli i mild be found anywhere, but through out the lungs th.'Te were " curious bodies " which are so distinctive ui asbestos particles lying in living tissues These bodies were seen in fibrous zones, in the alveoh, and c\en included within giant phago cytes This man, aged 49, had been totally" incapacitated with pronounced dyspnoea on exertion and cardiac failure Particles of asbestos were found ill 10 out of 12 sam ples ol sp utum and " curious bodies " m 3 samples , such findings, howe\ er, were not a ss o c ia te d with \ - r a v shadows indicative of pulmonary Ubro-is 1lie e\ idi m e is against much danger arising loon the nnuuil.u lure ol hbio-cement. /.' /.. Coll is Ih r v l l i x s i \, \ , l navi, J X t i i o i , , | Talcosis pulmonum. t'g?.Co- / L a w ? 1950, Dee 7, \ . 112, No 49, 1691 7, 2 skiagram s .26 refs : English siiminarv 111 1940, the banish public health authorities investigalt <1 tin possibility ol tale poisoning hi two rubber ln< tone's, and m one oT tliem ten workers who had' been employed in it hom 15 to 30 years were examined with special releieuce to deposits in the lungs Ml the skiagram s were normal, and there were no complaints of sym ptom s In 1949, one ol these factories was again studied with relercnoe to talc poisoning, and ln e workers with the longest time of em ploym ent (troiii 19 to 29 years) were examined A workci who had been employed for 29 veals -bowed diffuse rudiugiaphic changes in the lungs The present publication g i\o s a detailed account of 11\ e i a s s ill wInch th< re wei e radiographic pulnionaiv changes alter prolonged exposuie to talc du-t during the ln.mulacUire ol nihhei inner tubes. T ln r e ol these workers had shown no radiographic CNideiue ol hlnosis allei lespei ti\ely 6, 15 and 15 veals ol exposure to the dust Bui alter a lurtlier period of 10 r e a r s there were marked radiographic changes None ol the five woi ki i s presented any su n ptoih siil talc poisoning, but three ol them showed a slight reduction ol pulmonary Inaction 4 he authors recommend measures lor the reduction of talc du st ill the industries concerned, and they" suggest that when such pulmonary changes as they found are demonstrable, it is adeisable to nio\e the worker to a less dusty employment Chii'dc l.illuigston n r Commi.ni-., j 5 X B k s s o n , J l.a pneiiniokoniose a poussieres dc ceteales Pneumoconiosis due to the Dusts of Cereals Au k . Malail. I'mfessi. mnelh's J 'aris 1950, \ 11, No 5, 459 70, 9 figs i 15 refs.y The claim is advanced that dust Irom such cereals as barley, wheat and oats can cause pneumoconiosis, and published work is quoted m support. Experi ments are described m which gumeapigs were exposed to ceieal dust for i to 1 hour tor 3 or 4 sessions per week during 100 to 245 d a y s The du st contained sharp fragments ol vegetable hails and such were found in the lungs of the animals. The lungs showed changes which are divided into three stages, passing from bronchiolitis with abrasion or perhaps des truction of the epithelium of the bronchi, the bronchioles containing polynuclear cells and dim particles, to a stage in which the bronchioles become either obliterated or em ph ysem atous with thickemx. and sclerotic walls. These changes cause X-ray shadow s passing from reticulation to nodulation They have been ascribed to traum a from the slurp dust, or to histamines in the dust, or to bacteria introduced with the d u st and gaining iccess through the traum atic actum of the dust, or to monk'' belonging to these vegetable d u sts Dusts tl'Oill different cereals differ m toxicity Seirch, however, for either bacteria or moulds has failed to detect the noxious a g e n t , and the authors are compelled to blame the d u st as such. No evidence ol sus ceptibility to tuberculosis was found Lhe dust i- generated when grain is being transhipped to land, often bv mechanical elevators and chutes bight) four men employed m the port of Marseilles were exam ined an d 21 of them exhibited signs of pneumo coniosis On first starting on the work, the men experience " cereal fever " 'somewhat reminiscent ol " mill fever " in cotton m ills) which after a few days passes off ; but a s years go by, from 5 i o 20, bronchial attacks become more and more frequm t and associ ated with a sth m atic a ttacks, while the men become dvspnoeic and cyanotic Ol the 21 cases detected, 9 were m the first stage, 11 m the second, and only one m the third. Prevention lies in controlling the dust as far as possible by engineer ng appliances, such as closed-in machinery and exlntist draughts: and in medical exam ination before employment and every six months thereafter In contrast to silicotic fibrosis with its inevitable advance, n s t and lreedoiu Irom exposure would seem to perm t the lungs to reeovei sloulv. h 1-- CoHis Mourns, c, O. X- bouHKs, J J Review of Literature on Health Hazards of Beryllium and its Com pounds. C .S . Huy M m . lufuiiu. Cue ~ l1 Wash 1950, lulv, 23 pp. 38 re's - This circular presents a review of literature pertaming to health hazards arising Irom beryllium poisoning. Beryllium occurs m nature as a minor constituent of pegmatite ores, especially ol beryl, a complex aluminium beryllium silicate , it is the basis of emerald gems, ft is found m many countries m small amounts and is coming into many industrial uses chiefly in alloys with copper Such alloys have high fatigue strength, high tensile strength and electrical conductivity, hardness an 1 resistance to corrosion. One particular use is in the production of fluorescent lamps, although for this purpose the less toxic cadmium is being substituted. Many cases ol berylliosis have been reported, due to direct contact with the skin, or to the action of its dust on the lungs, or to general toxaemia Contact with the skin will set up erythema of exposed parts and conjunctivitis ; if the skill be abraded, particles mas' get in and cause indolent uk ers which heal Voi. 26 only al skin gi years , Renerai liable 1. lamps, All bro of direi Inha m ay si insidio anorex or Mi, B u t ih tOsis ( latent cond: of wl bouts Cyani heai t N o re Diagi clinel The series living berv: souri work Ci limn per vein ated but i dust hltei exai toge her' 1'r i i . : slue Ai.: | j j of : to ; LM r ttiwn ' do- j j tin [ aOiCr _' of * to jm i lev