Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21

Prof. Lehman Tells I'm How Many
Ways 1t Ia Used.
From the Philadelphia Press. 18th

|
| Ways 1t Ii Used.
| From the Philadelphia Press, 18th.
| '.PoisOn lines the walls of hundreds of rooms
! in this city, and the occupants receive it into
| their systems and in majority of cases do not
| know what produces the ill-health which they
| suffer-" said Prof. Henry Lehman to Press
! reporter yesterday.
as the employment of arsenic in the manu-
! facture of articles for domestic use extensive?"
| was asked
| at is both extensive and dangerous. The fire.
| quency with which it is found in articles which
one sees about the house daily is alarming. 1t
Is discovered in large quantities in many do
mestic fabrics and in great many varieties of
wall papers. / know of about forty different
wall papers which contain arsenic in danger
| ousIy large quantities 1t was once supposed
| that green papers were the only ones which
| were arsenical, but at present arsenic is more
frequently found i'll all papers of other colors
| The color, however, is not a sure guide and is
not TO be depended upon People became afraid
to buy green papers, and if they are freer from
poison than they formerly were it is due to the
| fact that the manufacturers had to make. them
| without arsenic in order to find sale for them
| The green pigments used now for coloring
papers are, as a rule mixtures of non-arsenicai
blue and yellow, such as Prussian blue and
| chrome yellow.
| PAPERS To BE AVOIDED.
| You Will find to-day that the red and blue
wall papers. Papers of any color or shade may
| contain arsenic in dangerous and fatal guam
titles. Professor Edward S. Wood, of Massa-
| chusetts, who has given me much important
| information on this subject, says that in his
| investigations he has found in different rolls of
| The same paper that some contained arsenic
and that some did not. This, l take it, is
| explained by the fact that the coloring matter
| used in the manufacture of the two rolls came
from different lots, one being pure and the other
| poisonous.
Arsenic is sometimes found in the white
| groundwork OF paper sold to cover the walls of
| nurseries. In this case the poison probaki;
| used in the paste which fastened the pigments
| TO the paper, and when used in this way it is
dangerous because it can lie detached in the
| form of dust, or in a humid atmosphere it
| drogen."
rs arsenic used in the manufacture of ex-
can be secured by purchasing high-priced goods
| In the samples OF arsenicaI paper here you see
| that some pieces marked 50 bolt contain
| yard
| The poisonous samples were of vast variety
Oh shades. coiorS, patterns and prices. Some
| 9laZed papers contained as much as fifty grains
| OF arsenic to the square yard, and one sample
showed by analysis that one square foot held
double the fatal dose of arsenic for an adult
Samples OF calico showed the presence of
arsenic also.
| WHERE THE DANGER LIES.
| "Ihe most dangerous papers," continued
are dangerous because theyare used for SO many
purposes and are SO heavily charged with arse
| nc. Children are often given bits of these
papers to play with and it is known how ma
| turally child carries everything to its mouth.
| Pretty, gaily colOred ornaments are fashioned
from them, and you may see them extensively
employed during the holiday season. Candies
are wrapped in them, and theater tickets and
playing cards and other articles made from
cardooard are also very frequently manufac-
tured from them.'
1T is source of surprise to. me that more
painful and fatal cases of poisoning do not oc-
cur among children. The fact is. however they
90 suffer from arsenic good many times when
their parents and physicians do not know just
| have taken small quantities of poison into their
| systems have had the symptoms which ensued
ascrlDe "a 10 severe cold or indigestion. The
paper In which cheap sassafras lozenges such
| as are purchased in little rolls by the school
children e are enclosed, is highly arsenical. If
| the painful symptoms in the stomach which
would follow would probably be charged to the
candy. Children seem particularly subject to
contain arsenical pigments. Toy paints. build
ing blocks, rubber balloons painted dolls, chill
arsenic. The small candles used on Christmas
trees have been found to have in them a large
uS 1 % the This is
when the candle is burned one of the products
OF me combustion will be white arsenic, and it
noats through the room as an invisible dust"
POISON IN CLOTHING.
| att is surprising to find the number of articles
in daily use which contain arsenic 1t seems
! TO be entering into the composition of nearly
| everything. 1t is used foolishly and needlessly
In majority, If not in all cases. find, candy
toys colored with it. Articles of clothing are by
! no means free from it. Green tarlatan has
Pods pos the people who use it so frequently
that IL Is seldom used as a part of an article of
apparel, but you will see it on the walls at church
| lalrs Tor an ornament, and it is not uncommon
] llyps
| TO protect them from the flies. The arSenicaI
pigment so loosely adhereS to the cloth that a
portion OF it will separate upon the slightest
| disturbance. 1t is estimated that twenty or
! thirty grains OF the poisonous pigment would
| separate in an hour from a dress worn in a ball
room.
THE LAUNDRY SECRET.
"Foulard cambria contains arsenic. and wear
! ers of dresses made from it have suffered from
nasal catarrh, pharyngitis and gastric irrita-
/ ton in consequence Painful irritation of the
| SKIN Is not infrequently caused by wearing
stockings colored with arsenical pigments
| Poison is most often found in light red, ma
| genta-coloreG and brown stockings Some cases
been reported Persons have been fatally noi.
| soned by the green flannel lining in boots, by
maroon flannel shirts, by calico shirts, coat
manufacturers of paper collars and cuffs in
/ troduce arsenic into the finishing in order to
cred that the secret which many Ignorant
| laundry women guard closely, and upon
knoWiedge OF which they rely for producing a
beautiful polish on linen, is the use of arsenic
| in the starch
What are the general, symptoms OF the poi
| soning" asked the reporter
1.-The general symptoms are due to the action
Oh arsenic upon the system after it has been alb
| sorbed. They are indicated by severe neural-
ity, fainting spells, and even arsenicaI PARALYSIS
| In extreme cases. What we need here is q com
pre pre- ems stringent, we-enforced law regula-
|