The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-22
DEATH IN THE DUST.
The Street Sprinkler One Of the
Modern Necessities.
A FACTOR IN LUNG DISORDER S
Statistics Which Show that the Inhalation of
Dust Causes Many to Fill Prema-
ture Graves.
For THE SUNDAY HERALD

For THE SUNDAY HERALD
THERE'S cause for general rejoicing in the
growth of that phase of popular feeling
which declares the sprinkling cart more of
a necessity than luxury in all large cities.
Dust Is a necessary result of the violent
wear and tear incident of human activity,
and nowhere is this illustrated in a fuller
or better way than in the towns, where
people most do congregate. The streets of
our own beautiful city afford ample proof.
lmpelled by the pressure of present Cir
cumstances, physicians have of late devoted
much earnest study to the action of floating
dust upon the respiratory organs of human
beings; and co ordinately with these obser
vatlons, chemists have busted themselves
In close examination of the dust itself.
The results of these varied investigations
are, to say the least. startling.
| 1t has been proved that the inhalation of
dust laden air is potent factor in the pro-
duction Of lung disorders, among which,
bronchitis, pneumonia, and phthis:s are
prominent If the dust particles be not of
themselves poisonous, their injur-
lous effects will be mainly due
to the irritation occa stoned by
Tie presence of the hard substances III
the lung ussu,s. An attentive review OF
the statistics representing the comparative
mortality among people of different occu
pations, reveals the fact that the most in
FURIOUS kinds OF dust arc sucn as consists
OF hard, sharp and angulac particles.
The 1orty NTH annual report of the re-
gistrar general of England Incorporates
within It's pages an extended account of
the observations of Dr. Ogle, of London,
} upon This and kindred subjects. a table
therein published gives the comparative
mortality OF males between the ages of
twenty nve and Sixty-tive years, engaged
IN various discriminating laborS.
From this it is found that coal miners
stand at the head of the list as being freest
ION lang diseases; and that Cornish tin
miners occupy the other extreme, tuey be-
Ing most subject TO bronchial troubles The
mortality among the miners of tin from the
causes specified is 35 times as great as
, that among coal diggers nearly 66 per
, cent, OF the total mortality among tin
miners is due TO lung diseases and the
death rate among them is nearly three
tunes as nigh as that OF the male popula-
ton of GO 'nwali, considered as whole
DR. Ogle attributes the comparative i'm
munlty OF coal workers to the soft
ness OF coal dust particles, and the
freedom of sucn from all sharp
corners. He believes also that coal dust
: exercises u decided effect in hindering the
progress of tu0ercular diseases.
That working i'll an English coal mine is
a particularly healthful occupation will be
a surprise 10 many persons | specify Eng
llsh mines in this connection because the
statistics of some other mining countries
show somewhat different result, the SD
n-.y.iG t.ftt of M Il~yti at
spect being doubtless due to the efficient
system OF mine ventilation required by
English law. The walls, ceilings and floors
!, OF tnes5 underground coal passages are
constant y throwing off quantities of nox-
ious AID even poisonous gases. and the at
e mosphere there is filled VITA black dust. A
5 constant circulation Of air is maintained.
however. by system of double shafts,
the foul examinations being thus swept out
or the mine as last as they are
produced within the passages. The tin
miners before referred 10, though laboring
under many conditions similar to those OF
the coal workers, inhale dust consisting
: OF hard, sharp and Irritating PARTICLES.
: III Will be well to consider some other
branches of dusty toll. Dr. Hall has told
US that the average life OF fork grinders is
i only twenty nine years, and that of edge
: tool workers generally is only thirty-one
years, the cause OF death in the majority oil
4 eases being lung troubles induced through
5 the inhaling of metallic particles anc
the dust arising from the wear of the
grindstones. Pearl button makers are par
tlcularly liable TO such diseases, as are
also workers in the fine fabrics such as
d flax and cotton, and laborers in paper fac
: tories.
These examples illustrate the effect Of
mechanical irritation of dust much Of
which, in toxical sense, might be con
cldered innocuous; there are other occupa
): tons, however, in the course Of which
), worhmen are exposed to poisonous
/, dust Such is the case with brass
: founders and copper Smiths among whom
mortality ranges very high from copper
poisoning; brass founders aguen was
until recently, very popular name for dis
orders OF tbs sort. Lead poisoning cause:
great mortality among plumbers and paint
= ers: the former contracting the disease
: from inhalation OF volatilized lead and leaC
4 oxide, and the latter from the breathing OF
the dust of white lead, and from absorbing
through the skin the poisonous lead com
. pounds OF their paints. Mercurial poison
2 ing is a Potent cause of death among al
Z who work with the curious quicksilver
and arsenical fumes watt many to thei
graves from the ranks of ore roasters.
4 In these injurious occupations com
paratively few people are called L
/. labor and to suffer; the interes
z of the masses may be stirred
through sympathy, otherwise they hav,
little discomfort TO fear from these specific
causes; yet there are lessons in these ex
amples which are applicable to all people
Z We learn that dust of any description i
= deleterious when introduced into the ali
D passages of the body, and care is needed tt
escaps the iniuries.0 4
Nature has done much to arm her chill
dren against these inevitable dangers. Tin
noStrils are lined with stout hairs, vibrissa
they are called, and these act as sieve t
to the air that passes through them. Tn
nose openings a;e, without doubt, the pre-
per respiratory entrances to the lungs, an(
much of the dust, which if breathing b
carried on through the mouth, will surel
find its way to the deeper air passages, Wi
be arrested in its course if forced t.
thread the intricate passages of the nose
When exposed to DUST care should be take
to observe the advice, so often bluntly give
keep the mouth shut. Street talk tends t
O: evil in more ways than one; our dust
0; thoroughfares are not fit places for prt
e, lOnged conversation.
A farther defence against the injuries @
e; the dust-laden air is offered by the pt
20 culiar structure of the lining membrane {
IN the trachea and the smaller passages of til
lungs. The inner surfaces of these char