Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-16
D,NGER IN SODA WATER.
---,oo,. or Lead Poisoning from I'm
,erfectly Constructed Fountains.

,,t,,~a Is a danger lurking in the soda
- fountain that is known to but few
..,'..,Ia who stop at the drug stores and the
ii.+,I. stands up town and down town these
r,r DAVIS to get cooling, etferYesclng
driuk. coda
.l,,irpral waters are sold are above sus-
Ian there are scores Of fountains IN
In.t,,5alphia from which drinks are drawn
IN a-e a slow, deadly and lDsldIous
is,v This is owing to the improper
J g.TI,ction of the fountain and APP
V,ns Outfits can be purchased very
l.I,Iv. and the druggist or the coniec-
...r.r. ', no " ants to add the summer drink
.TnratO his business can DO SO win
III outlay. The beverages which are
srnan in many cases are impregnated
,,ith conner or lead. so that the person who
,il"s soda water and goes to these places
nIntjnuousiv is simply taking poison
,,N,ic}, in the end is likely to break the sys-
tsrn down, not intrequently with fatal re-
cults. 49,, ,.,,,,, oo,, NOT
4-dstactpd owing TO the minute particles
NJ the poisou, and the drinker does not
NOW that he has been taking into MS sys-
tenn an enemy OF health and life.
now TIE POISON is GENERATED.
Reconstruction Of soda water fouu-
,oi, IL very simple. The fountain itself
ia seldom seen. 1t is down in the drug
store cellar and consists OF an oval retort
made Of copper, brass or steel, holding
I,robably ten or fifteen gallons. A pipe
Ilornacts this with a glass on metal re-
cs,vsr or a coil of pipe, concealed IN the
onuaraJus above and covered win ice.
n,rectly from this receiver the water Is
Drawn. bedanger depends entirely upon
tb. construction OF the fountain ana APP
r,rstus. Nearly ali the waters are made
arIjfcialJy and are charged with car0onic
acid pas. which imparts the LIE and
lnarkle. Ifthe fountains are OF copper and
are not lined the action or this carDonlc
arid on the metal results IN copper get
ting into the water, and the man WHO
drinks it doesn't know what Is going INTO
lisst0m8ch, or, knowing IL, muob VAIN W
commit suicide.
A recent case was that of man who
MAS stricken with what he believed to be
ayiolent attack Of cholera m0rbus. The
doctor who attended him made close ln-
curry into what he had eaten and drunk
aud suspected the deadly soda water APP
raratus because the patient, after eating
a light breakfast, had stopped into place
and drank a glass of mineral water. he
had all the symptoms OF copper poisoning
end recollected when questioned that ne
had detected slight taste OF copper in
the drink. He procured some of the
water from the same slphon when he was
able to 20 out, and chemical analysis re-
4 yeal1d the presence OF copper.
POISON IN THE PIPES.
The most extensive manufacturers of
SODA water fountains who make them Of
copper carefully lire them with porcelain.
some of them are washed, but these
are almost as dangerous as those of cop
per which have no lining at all. The
4 porcelain lining is likely to crack and
iall of, and there is no possible way, when
Ia S occurs. OF ascertaiuing what has hap
pened. Iha danger from lead-poisoning
lies in the pipes alone. La many cheap
fountains the pipes are Of lead, and al 0 not
4 even lined with Tin.
The cheap fountain is supposed to be in
n 4 nel5hboruOOd where there is not enough
3ustJm TO warrant a large outlay OF
money, and instead OF a glass cooling
d eserNoir where contamination would be
llpOssible there is a lead coil in which
81 water lies and gets cold. If there is
90 a brisk demand, the action Of the car
b0lc acid is sure to poison the water.
Thee are cheap fountains, which are seen
on tn sidewalks at times, which consist
OF auulined copper holder anu coil OF
ad jpe leading 10 a simple goose
neck aucet. The drinker at such places
Is sureo get a combination dose OF lead
and COPPER, and double dose of the cop
per at tat, Tor not only does the water get
poison j. il from the holder but from the
faucet, to, which is also of copper and
likewise Mined.
DT LBFFMANN'S OPINION.
Chat tere is great danger from drink
Ing soda water drawn from imperectly
CONSTRUCTED tountains," said DIR. Henry
Lehmann'ecently TO a reporter, there
can be bU little doubt. / do not know
That anything has been done in Phila-
0elphld prevent it. The chemistry of
lie question IS very SIMPLE. The CON-
pound Is t-st formed by the carbOnic acid
upon ths fetal. with the assistance of the
air presen. Then the compound is dis
solved bNhe excess OF carbOnic acid,
and you hive the water perfectly poisoned
WIN coppT, brass or lead, as the case may
De- Let ne illustrate: In certain
quantity water you have, say, 100
sians Of ;arbonic acid. Ten grains are
'u1lelent form the compound. Iu pure
spring waer this would do no injury, but
Tue remainder of the acid dissOlves the
COMPOUND The result is that in the water
you nave copper carbonate or lead car
DOudle' BON are IN small quantities, II is
~ Oe presumed, or we would hear OF
many more serious cases, but in min
efSI and suchwaters they are much more
dangerous BECAUSE these waters are more
actNep
w lat is the best method to prevent this
dangsrr,
lie only safe method is to prevent the
TaIer coming In contact with the metals.
7uould say thai the danger was greatest
We unlined copper vessels which hold
v ~e water Bang completely inclosed
%.a only sOpcock, they can not be
IU"usny washed, and the work which
-"u Wlen they were first filed in
,'"'gs each time they become dry and
ut'd again. The corrosive substance
sun mere aud the action OF the car
"O dcid becomes more and more deadly.
at nue. clIel danger lies in the insidious
s rS' ac'er OF the poison. the most pow
'" P0isous are safe when we know we
f, Using them, but when they are taken
t .1e system unconsciOu-ly all the
.g t'e result can not fan 10 be as
ytoi.us 10 science as it is serious to the
i,@u' u the inside Of these vessels aud
Ak uid be washed and polished from
INK CAV there would be comparatively
The MOON ON IFIIsEo