Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES.
II.-In Metallic Dust
Trades.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

There are about 10000 brass workers In
the United States, Of whom 1000 are wom-
en-. Data from the federal census and in
dustria1 insurance companies show that
fully thirty-f1ve out Of every 100 Of these
die Of consumption. They also fall a prey
to metallic poisoning, chronic catarrh and
brass founders ague. It was not until
1894 that any government turned its at
tention to the dangers Of this occupation.
This was done by an official committee
in England. The facts brought out at
hat time were given in greater detail in
the report of the chief inspector of fac
tories and workshops. London. for 1905.
In 1903 the United States bureau of Ia
Dor published bulletins which included
brass workers in this country. Other
federal publications have followed, down
to that written by DR.. William. c. Han
son and published by the bureau of labor
statistics in January, 1914. The National
Society of Amalgamated Brass. Workers
also has looked into this vital problem.
Brass work is divided into pattern max
ing, chasing, casting, finishing, FURNISH
ing. polishing and putting together. and
of these casting and founding are held to
be the most dangerous to health. The IN
halation Of zinc and copper dust and ex-
posture to fumes and vapors enerated In
THE manufacturing processes are the
causes of the ills which this type of in
dustrial agent suffers. When calico mops
are polished great deal of fluff, sand and
lime, which is very irritating, II not POSI-
lively injurious, Is thrown off for the
workers to take into their lungs. Brass
founders ague. previously mentioned, Is
very common. The symptoms are ex-
tiRhtDeSS
the chest, heavy sweats and fever.
Proper machinery would greatly mini
mize these diseases and affections. Simply
the installation of good exhaust venti-
polishing operations is all that is needed
in most instances Manufacturers who
seek to evade responsibility. for the care
and health of their laborers often lay
great stress on the carelessness and UNI
tidiness Of the workers in not washing
all the dust Off their hands at the noon
hour. As a matter of fact, investigation
by national authorities in England and
In this country shows that the toilers are
poisoned at the machine while at work.
and that a very, very small percentage
first take the dust, fumes and vapors into
their system by putting half-washed
hands to their mouths while eating In
vestigation further proves that respon-
| sibility for even this slight ratio rests
with the employer rather than with the
laboyer. because. as a rule, no lunchroom
apart from the dirt of the factory Is
provided and the twenty or thirty min
utes allowed for lunch Is not long enough
| to permit of thorough cleansing of the
hands and face and lips with hot water
and strong soap.
Printers are held to be above the rank
and file of the nations army of
mechanics, b o h
! Mortality High in i n ell / lgence
Among Printers. h,,t t thew !. seem . to %
be no more successful than the others in
securing proper sanitation and ventila-
ton. Conditions now are not as bad as
they used to be in the old-tine print shop,
but many printing plants of today are far
from what they should be-
Twenty years ago printers succumbed
to lead poisoning as well as to con
deaths among them were due to the latter
disease and they were thus attacked
after lead poisoning and general atmos-
phere Of dirt had weakened their consul
tutions The excess of mortality among
printers. at that time. both in England
and in the United States. was under
thirty-hve years of age. and at every
stage up to sixty-five the proportion OF
printers who died was higher than the
average Of all the industrial trades In
fact less than per cent lived to be
sixty-hve years old. Statistics of 1891
for the state Of New Jersey showed that
out of 462 printers then within the borders
of the commonwealth only two were over
sixty years old.
With the gradual strangling of lead
poison, however, and the Improvement
Of shop ventilation and sanitation, the
death rate has gone down about 10
per cent The Union Printers Home
was located at Colorado Springs. princi-
pally because SO many of the craft were
susceptible to respiratory diseases. A
table prepared by George A. Stevens of
the New York bureau Of labor statistics,
in 1906, developed the fact that the
average age at death for all printers was
forty-flve years. This investigation in
cluded the entire mortality of the Inter-
national Typographical Union for the
five years ending with 1905.
Stereotype workers, by the way. have
developed a craft of their own. but there
are no separate mortality statistics for
them yet, although it is known that lead
poisoning Is a grievous affection among
them AS to compositors, perhaps the
best description of their exacting work
has been given by J. W. Sullivan. New
York printer which has been incorpo-
rated into typographical union, state and
federal reports.
Typesetting is exhaustive work, as this
writer knows from years of experience.
Standing hour by
Work Demands hour brings on back
a-E-A ache, and in some
oA"A 0stsAsS' men varicose veins
and swollen feet Sitting on printing
oface stools doubles up the operator con-
II, x, int ytY,Sy