The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-14
DEATH Turks IN
MATCH FACTORIES
Owing to Use of White Phos-
phorus in Match
Making.
NECROSIS SURF TO FOLLOW
LESS SUBSTITUTE.
NECROSIS SURF TO FOLLOW

New York. May 53.-The manufac-
ture of matches where white phos-
phorus is used. as in all American fac
tories. exposes all employees who come
in contact with the phosphorus or its
fumes to the dangers of phosphorus ne
crosis. This statement is made by the
bureau of labor, which has just com
pleted an investigation of phosphorus
poisoning in match factories The
phosphorus the bureau says, most fire.
quently attacks the jaw bones and not
infrequently requires the removal of
an entire jaw by surgical operation Il
is the experience of all factories and
all countries that so long as white
phosphorus is used the danger cannot
be entirely eliminated, although it may
be much diminished by thorough ven
tilation and by the rigid enforcement
Of preventive measures, says the bu-
reau.
The investigation OF fifteen American
match factories during the year 1905
proved cOnclusively that in spite of
modern methods and precautions phos-
phOrus poisoning in the most serious
form occurs in this country. Numer-
Gus definite cases Of phosphorus pois-
oning were discovered by special
agents of the bureau who visited the
factories and talked with the factory
managers, and it was learned that
many other cases had occurred.
Many Cnses Discovered.
An investigation by DR.. Andrews in
the homes of the work people Of three
factories yielded a total of eighty-two
cases. The records of more than one
hundred cases of the disease were dis
covered during this investigation with
in 2 very short time. though it has
been the claim of some of the match
manufacturers, and there is a popular
impression that the trouble has not ex-
listed in a serious form for twenty
years in this country. In two factories
at least eight perfectly authenticated
serious cases were found to have oc-
CURED during the year 1909, and ref
erenceS were found to three more.
In one small factory records were OBJ
tanned OF more than twenty serious
cases during the last thirty years
an entire Jaw. This factory has been
under its present ownership since 1892
In one of the most modern establish
ments, owned by the same company
since 1880, records of forty cases of
phosphorus poisoning were obtained.
OF this number fifteen resulted in per-
manent deformity through the loss of
one or both jaws, and several cases re-
suited in death. One death occurred at
this factory in June, 1908.
twenty-one cases were obtained, six of
which were in the year 1903
Exposed TO the Fumes
Detailed investigation of fifteen
match factories showed that IS per cent
of the employees were working under
conditions exposing them to the fumes
of phosphorus and the dangers of phos-
phorus poisoning. The employment of
women and children is such that they
are much more exposed TO the dangers
than are the men Ninety-five per cent
OF all the women and SO per cent of
age were exposed to the dangers of the
poison. The total number of employees
in the fifteen factories investigated
was, according TO the statements made
by the manufacturers, 1881, of whom
2,024 were men, 1888 were women six
teen years Of age and over, while chill
dren under sixteen numbered 314, of
whom 131 were boys and 1913 were girls. !
Dangers Kept Secret.
There is no doubt that in some in
stances the employees have been in ig
nOrance of the serious dangers of
match factory employment, says the
bureau in several factories visited,
not single notice was posted warn
ing the employees of the peculiar dan
gers to which they were exposed
In some instances the employers also
have carried on the manufacture of
matches entirely in ignorance of the
dangers involved The managers of one
on for five years in no way suspecting
that there was anything dangerous
about the material they were using.
Their attention was first called 10 the
of phosphorus necrosis which broke
out almost simultaneously among their
employees
A movement. which had been grow
ing for number of years, for the pro-
hibitiOn Of the use of white phosphorus
eliminated in 1906 in the International
convention of Berne, called on the in
itiative Of the International Associa-
tiOn for Labor Legislation. As a re-
suit of this convention the leading
countries of Europe Joined in a treaty
~ ~ mn fcr
ton and sale of matches made of white
phosphorus.
Great Britain for a while held aloof
from the movement, endeavoring to
control the danger by the strictest
kind of legal regulation After a trial
of a number of. years the effort was
admitted to be failure. and legiSla-
ton was, therefore, enacted which be-
came effective the first of the present
year by which Great Britain Joined
the alliance of the countries prohibit