Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-26
OCCUpAIIONAL DISEASES
IV.-Lead Poisoning.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

Printers, painters and workers in pot
| teries, tile works and porcelain enameled
sanitary ware factories are those of the
| laboring masses most affected by lead
poisoning They number into the thou
sands and they are scattered over all parts
| of the world. Some of the ills they bear
are due to their own carelessness, but as
a rule their suffering and death spring
primarily from the environment Of their
| work. Wherever toilers in the trades
enumerated follow their calling lead poi
soning is prevalent. but investigations by
our own government officials prove that
such conditions in this country are much
| worse than they are in some other coun-
tries. particularly in England and Ger
many.
In 1912 and 1918 Alice Hamilton, NJ. A.,
NJ. D.. looked into the trades exposed to
lead poisoning as a special expert agent of
the United States bureau of labor. She
gathered statistics pertinent to hundreds Of
painters, in all angles of the trade, and
In assembling data in regard to pottery.
tile and porcelain artisans her researches
involved an investigation of sixty
eight potteries and factories located in
nine different states, and of 2,10O men
and 400 women. Printers were dealt with
in one OF the articles of this series which
considered consumption, and painters will
be treated in subsequent article. To-
days letter finds its basis in DR.. Hamil-
tons report on lead poisoning in pot
teries, tile works and porcelain enameled
sanitary ware factories.
Four industries are to be considered,
and they fall naturally into two divisions
The first division comprises. ID the max
ing of so-called white ware; t2) the max
ing of cheap earthenware bowls and tea
pots, of decorated bowls. jardinieres. ped
estals. cuspidors. etc, which are usually
summarized as art and utility ware; (0
the making of lead-glaZed wall. floor and
roof tiles. While these three have many
points of difference, they are alike in the
use of glaze containing one or more
compounds of lead. The second division
comprises the manufacture of porcelain
enameled iron sanitary ware. Sometimes
this industry is ca led hollow ware. At
any rate, 1t is quite distinct from the
other three.
4
DR.. Hamilton visited forty white ware
eleven Il e
Dr.. Hamilton Visits works and ten
Numerous Potteries. w ,,1mb@ Tr sre
ton. n. J.. and East Liverpool. Ohio. are
Of white ware Yellow ware is rapidly
tories in and around GAINESVILLE, Ohio
This city also Is the center for art and
utility ware. Tile factories We're inspected
in Trenton. n. j.; Newell, w. Va; Cow
ington and Newport, KY: indianapolis,
Ind; Chicago, ILL.,, and GAINESVILLE, Ohio
Porcelain enamel ware is made chiefly
in and around Pittsburgh, Chicago, Louis
vile, Chattanooga, Trenton. Sheboygan.
Wis, and several small towns in Ohio
In the Industries OF the frst-named
group of three both men and women are
exposed to the dangers of lead poison
ing, but in the hollow ware work men
alone are employed In the first three in
dustries the processes which involve a
risk of lead poisoning are: "a mixing the
glaze, done by men: t2l dipping the ware
ways, done by both men and women.
though men predominate:- 90 handling the
ware while the glaze is still wet. done by
men, women and boys; al removing ex-
cess glaze from dry ware, done by men
and women; t5) decorating the ware with
lead colors. done by men and women: 80
cleaning or sweeping dusty floors, boards
and tables, done by men and women. In
the fourth industry, the manufacture of
porcelain enameled hollow ware. there
are two dangerous processes. These are
mixing and grinding the ingredients for
the enamel and applying the enamel.
The danger in the mixing room comes
from shovelinc. weighing and carrying
| the white or red lead that goes into the
glaze, and from grinding and sitting the
glaze Naturally. great deal of poison
Gus dust results from this work. The
| clippers and their helpers, many of whom