The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-02-21
POISON ON TLiE TOYS.
Government Chemists Investigate
Harmful Colors,
Chiidren's Lives Endangered by the
Use of Painted Plas;iitnss-
Toreisl.-NLade Toys PAY
tlcuiariy it'd.

tests of timely interest to those who
buy Christmas toys for young Amer
lea. Uncle Sam is anxious to discover
just how much danger threatens his
youngsters who plays with highly
painted playthings. The chemist in
charge of the investigation has col
lected toys by the closetful and IS en-
gagged in soraping the various kinds of
paints from each and analy2ing it TO
learn which are poisonous and when
are not. The articles ia question are Of
both foreign and domest.c manufac-
ture, and there is positive evidence as
to whence each one cams, as well as by
whom manufactured. Needless to say,
Uncle Sam looks with contempt upon
any concern which would be guilty of
such criminal negligence as colorng
with poison anything which every ma
ture person knows is as apt to go into a
baby's mouth as an arm.ture is 10 jioin
an attracting magnet. A result OF this
investigation may be the establishment
of new laws in this country AS to the
ture, and the closing of our ports 70
those shipped from foreign countries
where toy painting is not strictly
looked into. As a general rule, how
ever, it is so far discovered that few
American toy manufacturers employ
poisonous paints. Many foreign con
Germs, however, are far less couscien-
tious. OF all the classes of amusement
devices for small children which have
fallen within the scope of the investiga-
ton, those made of tin are discovered.
to be the most deadly, as class. This
is because the paint chips off much
more readily than from non-metallic
toys. Often when applied to the new
ly-cut teeth it falls Off i'm great pieces.
Considering the poisons commonly
| used to color tin toys and the proper
tions in which they are mixed it excited
the wonderment of those informed that
youngster does not derive sufficient
/, venom from the average tin toy to lay
| him up, granting that he bite off only
| reasonable amount of the coloring
| matter.
All sorts of creatures and objects are
represented in this odd collection of
specimens being subjected to the dis
| figuring ordeal of having their ex-
teriors scraped and analysed. 1t would
| require several columns to give in full
the diagnosis of each case made by the
1 inquisttive chemist. One poor crea-
( ture, whose predicament should be
| pryed into by the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. is
threatening Uncle Sans laboratories,
will serve as an Illustration of many
eases. This subject, presented to the
writer, was tin clown, prone upon his
back, who, upon the actuation of ma
chinery beneath him, kicked his legs
in the direction of o revolving ball sup
ported on a rod. In the first place, his
entire makeup and that Of other parts
of the continuance was found to be
backed with white paint containing
| poisonous zinc. His blue coat was
largely oxide Of cobalt, rank poison,
while his yellow legs were of chromate
of lead, also deadly. The support up
on which he lay was colored with red
lead, not the most nourishing of baby
foods. and green mixed of the chrome
and cobalt of the yellow and blue.
Further tests with many other tin
toys showed that the principal poisons
entering into their color;ng are zinc
and leads. Some blues are copper,
while whites are either lead or zinc.
Arsenic was not found in single case.
In some countries there are laws for
bidding the use OF arsenic for coloring
toys, yet the other poisons mentioned
are allowed. 1t appears that the manu-
facturers, especially in foreign coun.
tries utilize the pigments which are
cheapest and most convenient. Ye.
there are none of these poisonous col
ors which cannot be duplicated in alb
solutely non-poisonous compounds.
For instance, harmless white can be
made from magnesia, chalk or sulpha1e
OF barinn; non-poisonous yellow
from one of these whites and extract
of saffron; red from equal parts of glue
and red chalk; green from saffron and
white, and so on
Many dolls with innocent faces have
suffered the removal of their complex
ions for the noble cause of science
Dolls, generally speaking, are not
found to be poisonous. The exposed
portions are usually of porcelain, chin a
or wax, and what little paint there is
over these is either harmless water
colors or some other pigment applied
SO thin that it cannot go far toward
causing internal complications of any
sort, or external ones either. Poison
Gus paint is found upon wooden toys.
but it is not applied so thick upon wood
as upon metal and does not chip easily
from the former. Likewise upon rub.
Der playthings, the coloring matter is
thin like enamel, yet rubber toys are
much more wholesome articles of diet
when left implanted. This new investi-
CATION, of course, is for the welfare of
the community, and will develop some
more interesting facts as it progresses.
Chicago Tribune.
MisunderxtOod.
A class was being examined in spell
ing the other day at well-knowr