New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-12
POISONOUS PAPER HANGINGS.
To ne Editor Of The N Y Tribune.

To ne Editor Of The N Tribune
The publication some weeks since in your paper of
the statement that gentleman experienced very
alarming symptoms from occupying a room newly
covered with green-hgured wallpaper, has brought
10 my knowledge similar which has occurred III
Nev-Havcu. Mr.. Solomon Mead one of our young
scientific farmers, has been the victim and at his re-
quest, 4 communicate the facts TO your widely crcu-
Lated journal as they ought to be universally known.
About the first of March, Mr.. Mead began to occu-
py new house the walls Of which are built OF gravel
Ssd cement end which is heated by steam. lower
room was used by Mr.. and Mrs. Mead ss a sleeping
apartment After sleeping in II one night they found
themselves suffering under strange feeling OF depres
zion almost amounting to Illness, which continued
during greater part of the day, and was renewed
upon sleeping again in the room. They observed thar
the effects were most severe during rainy or damp
weather The room, when kept closed for sons
hours acquired disagreesble odOr, which was not
peceptbe when the external air wss allowed free ac-
They ceased 10 occupy the ROOM and experienced
no recurrence of i'll symptoms after sleeping IN
other parts of the same house The cause OF all this
they could not divine until the article have referred
10 oarne under their observation. may saw AZ a
glance that the symptoms there described agreed VI
HIND with their own, and that the dangerous apart
ment was onamentsd with beautiful green-hgured
paper 1t only remained to discover arsenic IN the
green pigment to explain the cause OF their suffering
and indlsposhon MIR. Mead brought me specimens
ments TO demonstrate the presence of large quantities
OF arsenic and OF copper in the green color.
II ought to be generally known that these two
poisons constitute the basis Of the most beautiful
green pigments which we are acquainted with.
Schcelesf or Swedish Green" Parrot Green"
"Mountar Green, Pickle Green, -" Mine raj Green"
and probsbly also Paris Grcen,' consist essentially
az aleuitc OF copper. Scheele Green is made by d
sovsg white arsenic in pearl ash sal soda and add.
ing the liquid to solution OF blue vtrio This other
Colors above named mixtures of this arsen,e of
copper with gypsum, carbonate Of copper, &c. This
csss Of pigments is sufficiently dangerous; for
although they do not to my knowledge, exhale
poisonous vapOrs, vet their ino particles boating in
the air as may happen when paper colorcd with them
As busted or when paper curtains are rolled up AMI
down, NUT be highly noxious; and very serious
sequences might result il children should chew such
paper.
But the pigment which has produced the alarming
Consequences have alluded to is q different and more
dangerous compound. Ii bears the names Schccl q
~ g n, tcRR0 green, imperial green raitis grs1.
Ncas'cdcT grea, and sometimes nouatGia green.
p,eptrep from rkae drsenic and rcrdi
sv'' laoetde Of copper. Il is an acc.O-arscAte
~ oIPfa and is the most beautiful OF al green pig.
menus That II exhses deadly poison.u Us vapors os-
~elkhosn Tact among chemists 1t ia thought that
Que poison rom inhahng small quantity of which
Sshsns distinguished German chemist perished
"N,e' s"'"~ Gays Of mexpessible scattering.
In fTssis the use Of any and all Of these srsenica
Ssn'sns. = i~o'oeen under heavy penalties, and we
49, aA10 VINO VIII not suffer any paternallY-
ep0sed deepo<s " tel whs, we shsll buy ana ssh