Document xzDNNp782nxLYXQk0Br8xdee6

FILE NAME: German Articles - Some with English Translation (GER) DATE: 1932 June DOC#: GER052 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Article from Medical Journal - Pulmonary Asbestosis English 932 '.te >1 al ill* 1.10 !os the /.w. i of inu tile :is - .1 nt I in 1925 led n29, i nt. tib'ic 992, illtS 111 ill i ine neat . lost arid i the ys a half sses. irked it elf i Cant i had f the d at lor a. iutaut ity of ant the 19110 ad on urges a city iis. 1 | Vol. 7. No. 6. I INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE. INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE. U l/uuoc 2 _ 341 I Hy g ie n e, D is e a s e s a n d Special In d u st r ie s and % A ccid ents of O ccupatio ns. Khauh, A. Da.s Staubproblein. :The Dust Problem.' Mitt. d. Volksgsmthisamtes. 1932, No. 3, 20-27. [IS refs.] The author gives the results of a visit to the I'nited States, thanks to an invitation from the Rockefeller Institute, to study medical and technical aspects of industrial health problems. He spent some time participating in the work carried on in Professor Drinker's applied physioi logical laboratory at the Harvard School of Hygiene. He states Drinker's classification of dusts as follows :-- () Dust, the particles of which vary from 150 down to 1 micron and may be of the most varied character. (6) Dust mist (fumes), of size varying from 1to 0-2 microns arising from distillation, com| plete or incomplete oxidation of metals, and from chemical reactions, e.g., ammonium % chloride, lead, zinc, etc. (c) Smoke, of size less than (L2 micron arising |. usually from incomple te combustion of coal, oil, 1 tar, tobacco etc. The author describes the methods in use in Drinker's laboratory, for malysing and measuring dusts by (1) precipita te tion, (2) filtration, (3) washing out, (41 impinge ment, (5) electrical filtration, ((>) photometry, 'ving special stress on electrical filtration and photometry. The results achieved are referred min the determination of the threshold dose of substances giving rise to metal fumes fever, as t.g., from zinc oxide, and the amounts of inhaled dust which are retained. Much space is given to consideration of f; mineral dusts especially of siliceous dust. He ,vvs stress on the importance of fixing standards ijitheamount of specific dusts permissible in the air. Credit is giwn to America for certain r standards. Thus lie says that in various States fie highest permissible limit for granite dust is :.xed at 19 million particles per cubic foot, for | `.uartz and sandstone at 5 million particles, 'iliile for less harmful dusts, such as limestone, ; her figures are permitted. Lastly preventive measures are briefly {viewed, The author covers a wide field; dereferences to his p iper show that the litera- :ire lie directs atti ntion to has practically all it from time to time been made tire subject, of abstract in this Bulletin. 1'. M. Legge. G e r b is & U c k o . Ueber Asbestosis der Lungen. iPulmonary Asbestosis.] Dent. Med. Woch. 1932, v. 58, 285-7. The authors have examined 33 asbestos workers in the Deutsclien Asbcstwerken A.-G., of whom IS were females and 15 males, between the ages of 20 and 65. Only two of these workers had been employed for more than 15 years, viz., one woman for 17 years and one man for 32 years. A table is given showing the age, number of years employed in the asbestos factory, and the stage of the disease in these 33 workers. The workers examined were those who were specially exposed to the dust or those who complained of symptoms. Nearly all the patients examined showed symptoms which might be expected of such a lung disease, e.g., cough and sputum, dyspnoea, especially on exertion or in foggy weather, 16 complained of lack of appetite, io had loss of weight, 5 had pain on breathing, 5 had palpita tion, others complained of faintness and of increasing pallor. Cough occurred in 23 cases. The sputum was tenacious, scanty, generally mucoid and occasionally mucopurulent. Previous history included pulmonary catarrh in four cases, pleurisy in two, and in one case peritoneal tuberculosis. In only one (a female) was there any family history of tuberculosis and the authors state that they can trace no close connexion between asbestosis and tuber culosis. The general condition of the patients was poor. Clinically in ten cases percussion and auscultation of the lungs gave no significant findings. In the remainder there were signs of bronchitis, frequently with peculiar, coarse, indeterminate breath sounds. The X-rav picture showed in 13 cases no definite changes attributable to asbestosis although six of them had bronchitis, [n three cases well-marked X-ray changes were present without clincial signs on auscultation and percussion. The well- recognized X-ray picture of silicosis with the snowstorm effect or tumour-like shadowing was not seen. In one patient, at the right base, near the asbestotic changes, were nodules. This man, had, however, worked in a weaving factory where he was exposed to the dust of kieselguhr as well as asbestos, so that a mixture of silicosis and asbestosis was present. In the early cases there was an increase of the fine reticulation of the lung with fine mottling. In the second stage this reticulated appearance was thicker, and showed numerous diffuse mottled shadows in which the bronchial branch ing appeared to stand behind the network. In a 342 BULLETIN OF HYGIENE. June, ISE-V this stage the characteristics of the asbestosis were already clearly recognized. They were present mainly in the lower pari of the lung lields. There were very rarely important changes in the hilum of the lung. Diaphrag matic changes take place early and in the peripheral outer parts and in the centre. In the early stages fine mottling was present, such as is not seen for example in bronchitis and bronchiectasis. In the third stage the different findings were very marked. A cloudy veil occurred with a white faded-looking mottling. In the most advanced stage the shadows appeared moderately dense. Shadows due to calcification the authors do not regard as part of the picture of asbestosis. The authors confinned in a few cases the findings of the Dresden workers, i.o., that in advanced cases it was no longer possible to differentiate clearly between the cardiac and diaphragmatic margins. With regard to age, the severity of the disease did not appear to be dependent on the age of the worker, but, on the contrary, on the " employ ment age ' (i.e., the number of years the workers have been in the factory), and on the amount of asbestos dust inhaled, which varies considerably in different processes. The authors found that in every instance where a patient had been working for more than ten years, asbestosis could be demonstrated radiologically. Personal disposition also appeared to play a part in the production of the changes. Of diagnostic importance was the finding of asbestosis bodies in sputum, in lung puncture fluid, or poii mortem in material from the cut surface or. the lung or in sections of the tissue. '1'he authors quote the views of Beintker and Timmermans to the effect that the bodies arise through the deposition, due ro the solution of the asbestos, of a colloidal form of liberated silicic acid on the central core of the asbestos fibre. With potassium ferroeyanide and dilute hydrochloric acid the bodies give the prussian blue reaction. The marked discrepancy between the clinical appearances and symptoms on the one hand, and the X-ray picture on the other, tl -authors regard as a characteristi. peculiar to asbestosis. liven in the most seven- cases asbestosis lid not give as marked a picture as that d silicosis; indeed in the third stage of asbestosis there was present on v a degree ot shadow in., which in silicosis would have little clinical significance. It is probable that in asbestosis the silicic acid acts as a chemical irritant which leads to fibre .is. It has been demonstrated that con nective "issue is especially sensitiv to the action of -where acid and it is suy-ested that when the silicates of the asbestos are dissolved in the him, tissue, silicic acid is liberated ; the latter is then taken up l>v the connective :ifc ? and stimulates increased growth. I his ah>/"tion may possibly be further promoted w more strain is put on the tissue by the ao i" respiration ; probably herein lids the exits tion of the fact that parts of the bin" r.specially affected. With regard to the sevc- & of the disease the authors assume that a ! SI stitutional factor is important, (Keloiclosk 2-i MJ ::? v extension of the disease is dependent g infection is contradicted by the facts. It * ' well recognized that the asbestosis patient : an increased sc nsitiveness to acute inflanuuacrs".h 4 of the lung and bronchopneumonia, which i; gives rise to a bad prognosis. In conclus:v,r 't'i" , i*. f consideration of the occupational hist y Radiologically ..asbestosis shows a widesp: I uniformity with changes which Koelsch -- i H;. as lis? t term " silicatosis.' S', h'oodhoitsc Glaynt " B ig i.e r , M. Ueber die professionelle Schwar- 4 horigkeit in ihren rechtlichen Beziehunpas zur Unfallversicherung. [Oeeupaiiemt Deafness in its Legal Relationship m Accident Insurance/ Schweiz. Md $ Woch. 1932, Feb. 2tV 179-86. [37 refs' -: As a result of modifications and cxtensM* T of the Swiss law on Workmen's Compensator for accidents the author takes the opportiu.m ;. of pressing for inclusion in these extend',:;- t,i occupational deafness. In doing this he ir;;L? much use of the fact that Germany hasalrci: done so in the case of deafness occurring in u.-. f metal industry. The subject is dealt with fr :: the point of view of (1) anatomy, (2) clip, examination, (3) principal industries eona-rac . in its production (metal, textile, railway, id phone, sawmills, etc.), (4) diagnosis, statistics, (6) determination of the extent d i incapacity, (71 preventive measures. Statistics are quoted showing for hoik' \ makers that between 20-40 years of age 27 jv i cent. suffer from slight and' 7-5 from mark-- * deafness whereas between Id (ill the proport:-: is 1-1-3 and 87-3 per cent. These are IN-iigua* given in the original paper ; it will be seen that j Vol. 7. the te saakt-rs 75 to ' Shan '. -pe con reri p ! i pchl* The s.on h tsniaii toheihil dear Baauif\ Z U- A il from i 1-ing ' much syinp! trrit; 1 dust. C!ty thouy his di ji'\ b Rhtcr 1" l` u cl 1 lj V Tli a dec . pro c P2P -ihli since ] 111li til ih.su