The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-07-13
ARSENIC M DYES.
Practice of Loading Dress Materials With
Mineral Substances Condemned.

Tractice OF Loading Dress Materials With
Mineral Substances Condemned.
We have frequently referred in these
columns to the possibility of contamin.
alton Of dress fabrics with arsenic ow.
ing to the use of that poison in the
preparation of many dyes. We hold
that 1T is just as important that gu,
clothing, and especially that which is
worn next the skin, should be as free
from arsenical compounds as our food.
Arsenic is readily absorbed by the
skin, and symptoms of arsenical poi.
soning may easily arise from the pres.
ence of the metal in garment. Per.
spiration, too, has the property Of dis.
solving many metallic substances
which would be otherwise untouched.
We object strongly to the present
practice of loading dress materials
with mineral substances. We have
found quite large number of the me-
tallic oxides known to chemistry pres
ent in wooden garments and silk goods
and we suppose that there are very
few of the silk ties worn chiefly by
men which do not contain a very large
proportion of mineral substances.
These substances, of course, give con-
siderable weight to the material. Thus
compounds of zinc, tin and aluminium
are used which dissolved in rerspira-
ton would, we have little doubt. form
corrosive salts. The presence Of ar
senic in dress material is, however.
generally accidental, the poison being
introduced through the dye.
1t has been stated that hosiery is
very liable to such contamination.
With a view of investigating this point
large number of samples of cheap no.
siery have recently been bought and
tested. The results of the tests show
that at least fifty per cent of the
cheaper forms of hosiery contain very.
distinct quantities of arsenic. the
amount rising in some cases to as
much as half grain per pair of stock
1ngs. Although not highly soluble
this arsenic can be extracted by water
and slightly acid solutions. and there
is, therefore, possibility, if not likeli-
hood. of its being gradually absorbed
by the system. This arsenic is due to
% the use Of materials for finishing
and dyeing which are themselves con-
taminated, and (2) the slowing Of the
yarns with impure forms of sulphur.
Among the chemicals used in the
finishing and dyeing operations the
most likely source of arsenical contain
inat.oa is sulphuric acid. A great
many dyes are used in acid baths, and
commercial sulphuric acid may contain
as much as a fifth of grain of arsenic
per pound. Arsenical contamination
can be avoided by using only brim-
stone acid. The greater part of the ar
senic found in wooden goods is, how
ever, probably derived from the pro-
cess of "stoving" being followed by IL
sufficient washing. 1t is a common
practice to expose wooden yarns to the
action of sulphur dioXide. which is usu-
ally obtained from burnt sulphur or
pyrites. Sulphur obtained from the
latter source will always be highly
charged with arsenious oxide. The
quantity of arsenious oxide found in
these "stoved" yarns is sometimes ex-
tremely large. In one case a recent
analysis showed the presence of one
twelfth of a grain of arsenious acid per
pound of material Lancet.