The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1888-02-17
IMPURITIES OF AIR.
They Destroy More Lives Than Impure
Water and Foods Combined.

Water and Foods Combined.
Man is constantly taking in supplies,
but is very apt to take especial notice
Of those which require some special
work on his part. The acts of eating
and drinking and putting on apparel
demand his actual attention, and much
of his life work is expended in securing
materials therefor.
But the air is free. So, too often, he
takes it rs it comes and gives himself
no concern about it. All we'll as u
rule, if only we could have it as fur
nished in the great open; for nature,
when she attempts tosupply any thing
ready for use, does not make a mis-.
take, If only her conditions of recep-
ton are complied with. But the great
trouble is that sometimes by necessity
and oftener by neglect, we substitute
artificial conditions which deteriorate
that which nature has supplied, and
make no compensating arrangements.
This is especially true as to air, The
crowded street and the encascment of
the house are artificial. and offer us air
in very different condition from that
in which it occurs in nature.
The ground and matter decaying
under artificial conditions and fac
tories and various human methods.
are constantly sending into the air or
ganic matters faster than decomposi-
tons and neutralizations have been
provided for them. Hence, instead of
the nitrogen, oxygen and moisture
proportional, as furnished, we
add carbonic oxide, carbonic diox-
ide, carbureted hydrogen, sui
phurous and sulphuric acids, sui
phureted hydrogen, ammonium sui
phidc, carbon sulphide. hydrochloric
acid, ammonia, ammonium acetate.
sulphidc and carbonate, nitrous and
nitric acids and phosphureted hydro
gen. and SO have compound not suit
ed for breathing purposes. AS neither
the nose. the mouth nor the lungs are
provided with any separating appara-
tus for these various gases, we must
somehow seek to rid the air of these
impurities or reduce them to min
imum. The only way to do this is to
keep these out of the air or neutralize
them or dilute them. All of these
methods are more or less available, and
often our success depends upon the
combination of the three. We keep
them out of the air by coming to I'M
derstand the sources from which they
are derived, and by abating these
sources or reducing their number when
practicable. When we can not do this,
or ought not, VIC seek to bring into
play those forces of Nature which will
make compensation. Thus every per-
son in breathing sends some of these
materials into the air. But by Oxida-
ton and various other processes pro-
vision has been made for this, and
the products are quickly utilized or
destroyed. But if we remove our
selves from the open air, or from
the places where these processes
are going on, we must take
provision for their introduction or for
some other mode of Qualification. This
we attempt to do by introducing the
air from without or by the use of such
disnfectants rs set up chemical action
and accomplish the same or a similar
result. Oftener we resort to mere
dilution, rs experience has shown that
having secured this to certain
amount, we prevent harm until nature
can avail herself of its methods for
removal of these products. We in
general have very inadequate esti-
mate of the amount of material differ
ent from pure air that finds it's way
into it. DIR. Macadam calculates the
aereal sewage of two hundred and
fifty thousand people per year, at
twenty thousand tons of carbon or
sixty thousand tons of carbonic acid.
That Of all animals, fires, etc, of such
a city as Edinburgh, at two hundred
and forty thousand tons more,
the impure watery vapor from
the lungs and skin at sixty
thousand more. and from ami
mails at one hundred and forty thou
sand TONS or in all not less than five
hundred thousand tons. Nature has
so many ways Of disposal that we gen.
orally fare we'll in the open, except
where the gases of cities and its or
ganic matters, or those of dense. de-
caying negotiations pollute the air, or
where we mostly breathe house-air
We take into the lungs about two thou
sand gallons of air every twenty-four
hours. so that if it is impure we are
greatly interfering with processes of
waste and repair. Besides the gaseous
matter, there is also much organic