The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-12-04
ELECTRIC sUNBURN.
Protection Against Exposure to Power
 full Arc Lights Necessary.


 full Arc Lights Necessary.
 Cases of injury from exposure to in tense radiation are becoming more numerous, Not long ago the sun itself was practically the only source of the kind; now, not to speak of such forms of radiation as the x-rays and that due to radioactivity, we have many power full sources of light such as the various types of electric arc. that are able to do injury when their intensity is great. We quote from a note on this subject in Paris Cosmos. Says his paper;
 On board a cruiser recently under repair at Portsmouth, Eng, 1t became necessary to mako q hole in the shut ter of turret The mechanical pro- cesses5 commonly employed for work of this kind are so slow that an officer asked permission to melt the hole by using the electric arc Thls operation, although we'll known, at | tracted many curious spectators, from the captain down to the sailors All went well, and the solid steel, under the action of the current flowed like melted glass. But on the morrow ev- cry one who had witnessed the opera tion was either blinded or horri- | bly burned. The officer who had di- rected the work had the skin of his face completely scorched, and of a | deep copper color; 1t gave off a serous | liquid like that from a burn Several sailors who were at some distance from the turret had their vision so af- fected that they were sent to the hos- pital, and 1t was feared that they might lose their sight
 | This is characteristic case of "elec- trio sunburn," It is well known that in it's common and weakest form sun burn consists merely in a slight red ness of the skin accompanied by a burning irritation. Some times, especially if the subject has re- mained a long time in bright sunlight the skin becomes really painful, and becomes red and swollen as in erysioe- las. Later, blisters, filled with a clear liquid, may appear on the affected parts.
 The susceptibility of the skin to the suns rays is extremely variable. Del icate, transparent, white skins arc more vulnerable than thick, pigment. ed skins. Sunburn Is rarity amone negroes, the pigment of their skin con. lstituting a defense whose efficiency k increased by the abundant fatty secre. ton that covers 1t.
 It was long believed that solar cry. thema was burn; this is not the case In fact, no such effect is observed ir the case of workmen exposed to mucl more intense sources of heat It is pro. lduced solely by the solar rays. If the light is reflected by the snow it be. comes particularly dangerous, ant glaciers or snow slopes, tourists may more than one Alpine climber has dis covered this. In the mountains, or glaciers or snow slopes, tourists may be badly 'sunburned" even under { cloudy sky and in cold atmosphere This Is a true "sunburn" in the shade due to the chemical rays of light.
 
 The electric arc, rich in chemlca rays, especially when it Is formed be tween certain metals, may produce, a. we have seen above, results of tht same kind. Hence the necessity O, protection during exposure to a DOW erful arc or to a mercury vapor lamr in quartz glass The ordinary glas. used in the Cooper Hewitt mercury lamps absorbs the dangerous chem. ical rays to 8 sufficient degree. | one has not the advantage of being ( negro, it is necessary to cover the face and hands with appropriate masl and gloves; in any case such intense sources of light must not be looked a directly unless the eyes are protected by colored glass.-Literary Digest,