The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-30
DANGEROUS GOODS.
DEADLY DYES BY WHICH MANS
FABRICS ARE COLORED.
Poison In Wall Paper-Articles That
Are Highly Inflammable-
Risks Run by Women
Of Fashion. ...


there are other poisons besides thosa
manufactured in the private labora-
tory of this ingenious little worker.
Yet arsenic can kill as well as tuber-
culosis, and lead is as fatal as diph-
liberia; and if we put the former on
our clothes and rub the latter on our
faces We shall one day repent it. !
According to Partisan physician
who has been taking census of the
dangers that lurk in the boudoir of q
fashionable woman, she is fortunate if
she escapes being poisoned, and even
if she does she runs great risk of be-
ing burned to death. In the first
place, a great number of colored fa-
brics are more or less poisonous. I
Many dyes are toxic. As is swell known,
arsenic is chiefly to be blamed for this!
fact, though the law forbids the use of,
arsenical salts in dyes.
Some persons are apt to think that
the quantity of poison in wall paper
or fabric is, after all, very small, !
but this is by no means the case. Ger
tain stuffs contain more than two
grammes of arsenious acid to the yard
particularly the gauzy green fa-
brics. Many accidents are caused byI
aniline colors, and above all by fuch-t
ain and coralin, which are made by
treating rosslic acid with ammonia.
Fuchsin is not poisonous in itself, butt
rosanilin, of which this and many
other coloring matters are salts, are
obtained by. treating sniline with oxi-i
dizere, OF which two are as dangerous
as they are conmon-namely, nitratet
of mercury and arsenic acid; and it isl
rare to find fuchsin that does not con-
tain more or less poison. The obser-
vations of French physicians have!
shown that articles Of clothing COLI
ored with this substance and placed in.
contact with the skin cause not only
local erup:ions but symptoms of dis
ease throughout the system. For in
stance, cases of erythema and serious
Inflammation Of the skin have been,
caused by wearing red merino stock
ings colored by the makers with ros-
anilin containing arsenic as an i'm
purity. Il
This is only one of many examples
of products, harmless in. themselves,
that become actively poisonous by
reason Of impurities due to some pro-.
cess of preparation.
But the unfortunate modern woman
not only runs risk of poisoning herself
with articles of clothing she dons, she
may also be seriously burned by things
that she uses daily in the toilet!
First, there are the articles made Of
celluloid-now found on every. toilet
table, though often maquerading as
horn or ivory. Celluloid is a COM
pound of camphor and gun cotton.
and is highly inaammable, but in spite
of this, its cheapness and the ease
with which it may be shaped have
made it favorite material for combs,
hairpins and all sorts of small fancy,
toilet articles, even for artificial teeth,
whose wearers probably do not realize
that they are Transforming their
mouths into animated bombs charged
with guncotton.
Among all these celluloid toilet ar
ticles, however, combs are the only
ones that have hitherto caused acci-
dents. The most serious accident Of
this kind, or, at all events, the one that
made the greatest impression on the
public, was one that occurred in
France. A little girl on her return
from school was set to work at ironing
near stove.. During her work she
leaned constantly towards the hot
stove 80 that ner head was almost di.
rectly over it, and after she had been
in this attitude for about an
hour her imitation tortoise-shell
comb, made of celluloid, caught fire all
at once and her head was in an instant
enveloped in flames. Her mother has
tened to her aid and put out the fire
as soon as she could, but not before
large part cf the chiid's hair had been
burned off and her scalp had sustained
serious burn about four inches square
which was long in healing.
Less serious burns have resulted
from wearing the long double cellu-
loid hairpins with which women 80
often transfx their hair. When they
bend over a lamp, or even a candle,
the projecting part often comes in
contact with the flame and takes fire
like a match, but it is usually easy to
extinguish it before it reaches tbs
hair.
There are fabrics, too, that are lit
tie better than explosive. Not to
speak OF the light, easily inhammable
sluffs that abound, there is a sort OF
cheap flannel called pilou, largely
used for women's garments, especially
wrappers and night dresses. The sur
face is of variegated hue and covered
with long, silky hairs forming a sort
of down, and taking fire like fulmin-
mating cotton when brought near q
lamp, candle or open fire. The fame
spreads rapidly over the whole sur
face, generally going out of itself. hut
often taking hold OF the body of the
fabric, giving rise in very serious
burns. In December, 1889, a servant
was burned in this way, and the
French authorities condemned pilou
as dangerous fabric for use in making
garments with flowing skirts.,-New
York World.
A Petrifled Queen.
A curious tale is told by passengers