FILE NAME: General Motors (GM) DATE: 1938 Oct DOC#: GM006 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Transactions -Silver Jubilee Safety Congress NATIONAL SAFETY jht, 1938, Nthontl Sily Courcil.

FILE NAME: New York State & NY Times (NY) DATE: 1938 DOC#: NY081 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: NY Dept of Labor Special Bulletin - Silicosis & Its Prevention Special B ulletin N o. 198 1938 SILICOSIS A N D ITS PR EV EN TIO N By Adelaide Ross Smith, M.D.

One of the bulletins deals with the sub ject of lead poisoning--a problem with which the cement manufacturing industry is not concerned.

Workmen having to do with hag filling, load ing and unloading of pulverized sand, asbestos, talc, clay, feldspar, and other silicates, as well as those handling lead in bulk, should receive special care, as should also workmen making up batches in glass plants.

A/C Pipe Producers Association Public Affairs Committee International Affairs Committee ( /J.

ftinyci PULMONARY ASBESTOSIS V.

of Mil im- (2) rbi-'ago C l u b --"S'v'bean Oil ional irous the past In Interior Enamels." (3) Golden Gate Club--"Lead in Enamel Vehicles; Variation of Resins." (4) Baltimore Club--" A Quantita tive Evaluation of tb Effect iding >hem-tgers of the P i g m e n t -- Binder -- Batin on the Wet and Dry Opacitv of Various Pigments in a Casein Vehicle."

An interesting example of a development in the Lewis boiler is its application to a mobile steam turbo-electric pumping unit on order for A.R.P. water works emergency services by one of the leading water companies in the neighbourhood of London.

FILE NAME: General Electric (GE) DATE: 1932-1934 DOC#: GE032 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Downs Collection - Schenectady Museum, NY DOWNS COLLECTION FOLDER 113.8 #2 BOX A - 15 B SCHENECTADY MUSEUM, NEW YORK GE MUSEUM 00018 GE MUSEUM 00019 f`t; u t .

ployee b elieved th a t i r r ita tio n ' was due to burns or in fe c tio n s from E thyl lead d e p o sits on g aso lin e taidcs, which he re p a irs in th e S heet M etal D epartm ent, Physician gave d iag n o sis t h is tim e a s : "D erm atitis, d o rsal su rfa c e hands, cause unknown."

Soeio- economic factors are also significant in relation to tuberculosis* Therefore, comparison of the tuberculosis mortality rates in Thetferd Minas with communities in the Province of like size, medical and public health facilities, socio-economic qnri racial characteristics are important* Dublin has pointed out that where socio economic factors were dominant the tuberculosis mortality rates for both husbands and wives were similarly affected; where industrial factors played a leading role the standardized mortality rates far the husbands greatly exceeded that of the wives.^ Through the courtesy of the'Demographer of the Provincial Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr.

Certain dusts contain poisonous number of workers in the dusty trades is larger than dements, such as lead, arsenic, mercury, ere., which that of any other group exposed to a single industrial give rise to general conditions resulting from their hazard; and an additional reason for increased interest absorption.

; . 1 ,h*- ..o %- * /) S t.J o s e p h Lead C o m p a n y .

Browne Assistant General Claims Attorney New York Central Lines There are reams of literature all more or less technical in terms as well as diffi- cult to absorb on the general subject of silicosis I will attempt to set forth in simple language the nature of the disease and the serious problems now confront- ing industry in relation thereto Silicosis is said to be a fibrotic condi tion of the lungs caused by the continued inhalation of the dust of silica It may or Seutres may not cause disability When in the Ads disabling state it is of a permanent nature and there is probably no known cure <a or treatment other than to arrest the progress of the diseases incidental to it When wots not disabling the danger is in the continuance of exposure for by such does the disabling stage arrive The fault of ex- posure is that the dust inhaled gradually bate lessens the lung capacity making the subjest less able to resist and throw off tuber- Wer culosis germs and lowering the resistance to other diseases Silicosis seems unprogressive when exposure ceases It is un- like the known diseases which given a start progress to a crisis unless respond ing to under ceases treatment It however progresses exposure and although exposure the damage done becomes perma- debra nent although not necessarily disabling nthe It is doubtful if there have been any cases + of disability due solely to silicosis Those ate charged as disability are where the fibrotic mest condition had developed to the stage of CW active tuberculosis or to that of another Ne disabling disease coupled with called silicosis The best authorities indicate that of those who die as a result of sili- 1 cosis approximately 75 of them are ac- tively tubercular 93 pneumoconiosis the generaly name given respiratory affections where Ven the predisposing factor dust inhalatio-n silicosis is the name given where the dust inhaled over a sufficient period of time contains silicon dioxide in sufficient con- centration said to be ten million particles per cubic foot of air to affect the health of the worker The danger is in the fine dust It is asserted that particles greater than ten microns in diameter can pass through the finer bronchiales and are prac- tically harmless There affections medicinstiter medicinstiter definition Silicosis is usually described as falling into one of two stages the first where defi- nite physical signs of damage to the lungs is found without impairment of the capacity for work and the second where the specific signs of lung damage are shown accompanied by incapacity for work This latter stage may be classified as light or se rious and temporary or permanent Here again there is the question whether temporary means other than incapacity to re- main in any dusty occupation although permanent must mean incapacity from any work A temporary stage relates neces- sarily to ability to work for the lung affection however slight is generally regarded as permanent There are therefore countless numbers of exposed and slightly affected persons in dusty occupations who are not and probably never will be sufferers from the exposure Yet they are po- tential hazards and with the uncertainty of diagnosis their total disability or death from any cause may be attributed with some plausibility to the silicotic exposure and this will lead to serious results for em- ployers Diagnosis and prognosis yet in an uncertain state of silicosis is Microscopical 281 ow PRA Entiff's Entiff's contention 282 THE BULLETIN APRIL 1935 and ray examinations may be made but seldom do they reveal with sufficient clar- ity so that we can get a unanimity of opinion The symptoms of the ordinary cough where there has been an exposure to the dust hazard are such as to create a sus it picion of silicotic affection or progress Given such a basis is unlikely that the fairest of medical testimony with experi- - ence can give assurance of segregation of causes Where complicated with a ten- dency to tuberculosis the experts are in a turmoil especially when trying to determine if it be silicosis bringing on tuberculosis or a existing tuberculosis de- veloping or progressing because of silico- we sis In death cases when an autopsy is had usually the fibrotic changes produced by silicosis are fairly indicated It is the lack of definiteness of diagnostic findings in the disability or claimed disability cases that makes industry the easy prey of unscrupu lous claimants To determine hazard nee study essary to the industrial appropriate dust counts determine amount character the dust breathed end have a check the ceptibility dioxide . is commonly found in our food air and water but unless is not a hazard in injurious quantity it The industrial process . may produce organic dusts which may tend to injure workers by causing temporary af, fections but it remains for the inorganic dusts to cause permanent effect There are so many processes creating silica dust that many industries now resting smugly in the assurance that no hazard exists may be rudely awakened to their problem should regulatory and compensatory laws be established Any process having a small quantity of silicon dioxide dust may be ex- posed to this unless such laws carefully prescribe the method of determining not only that there is the injurious exposure but also that it caused the result on which the complaint is based Nor can one be assured that because silicon dioxide is not used or produced in the process he is im- mune from the hazard The real test is whether the worker is exposed to it from any cause even where the dust from an outside agency may pollute the air breath- ed uncertainty Prevention or avoidability of the haz ard is in such a state of at progress present as to be of doubtful value Im provement in devices to prevent or reduce the exposure in this respect is in Employment and of periodic examinations workers exposed the sult The removal of hazard muse thosensusceptible thosensusceptible to disease into hazardous employments seems clearly indicated ulatory laws providing dust methods have some time Reg prevention existed but been questioned their efficiency To compensate suffering workmen for silicosis claims under the existing Work- men's Compensation Law seems cal without impracti putting a tremendous burden on industry Under the existing system every injury and death where there was exposure to dust containing silicon dioxide would be compensated unless the method of determination be carefully prescribed It would seem that any law should define the dust count formula although opinion , differs on this also the disease itself and possibly the industries covered by it If these are not prescribed vague testimony founded on supposition and opinion will be found to support awards in every case of tuberculosis pneumonia bronchitis asthma and other common respiratory diseases where there is a scintilla of that silicon dioxide prevails in evetnesmtiinmuotney employ quantities in the process or in the ment It would be for all practical poses a blanket health pur- compensation law The experience in states other than New York is not a happy one The following quotation from the Bulletin of the ciation of Asso- Casualty & Surety Executives is portentous The Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Company of Wisconsin which . writes about 50 of the workmen's com- pensation insurance in that state has re- =~ cently completed an analysis of its losses in Wisconsin on policies issued in 1932 and expiring in 1933.

f.