The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-11-12
THE RISKS
OF LABOR
VICTIMS OF RUBBER INDUSTRY
"PROFITS FIRST" is RULE

Hundreds of helpless workers are
needlessly poisoned in the rubber in
dustry through sheer murderous sell
Ifishness on the part of manufacturers,
according to a recently issued gov
eminent report.
Rubber manufacture involves the
use of numerous poisonous substances
of which lead salts, anthony penta-
sulphide, aniline oil, carbon disul-
phde, and carbon tetrachloride are
the most dangerous The operations
involving exposure to these poisons,
however, employ but small proper
ton of the large number of workers.
No women and very few boys are en-
gagged in such operations. A lesser
danger is found in the use of coal-tar
benzol and of various petroleum pro-
ducts, such as naphtha, benzine, etc.
A considerable number of the work
ers, including women and boys, are
exposed to the fumes of these COM
pounds. These facts are brought out
in an investigation by Dr. Alice Ham
ilton of the industrial poisons used in
the rubber industry, the results of
which have just been published as
Bulletin 179 of the Bureau of Labor
Statistics of the Department of La
Dor.
While it was impossible to get COM
plete data as to the frequency of in
dustrial poisoning in the rubber in
dustry, records were secured of no
less than &c cases of lead poisoning
which occurred in 1914 among the
rubber workers in the United States.
Cases were also found of naphtha
poisoning, and of poisoning from car
bon disulphide, carbon tetrachloride,
and aniline OIL
The dangerous nature of some OF
the compounds used in the rubber in
dustry is not as yet commonly known
so that cases of industrial poisoning
may occur without being recognized
as such and ascribed to their ture
cause Also, in the case of some of
the compounds, the symptoms of pois-
oning may be obscure or may not
develop until some time after the ex-
10 nj
the resulting harm may not be ascrib-
ed to its true cause.
The investigation on which the Blu
reau's report is based covered 35 rub
Der factories, located in IS cities or
towns in states. Practically every
branch of the rubber industry was
included among the activities of these
factories. AS there are many trade
secrets in the manufacture off rub
Der articles, it was impossible to
make the investigation as complete
as was desired.
The processes of rubber manurac-
turing are many and various and
there is a great difference in the eX-
tent to which men and women en-
ployed in the different branches are
exposed to the danger of poisonous
dusts and fumes 1t is impossible to
make general statements about the
dangers in the rubber industry What
would be true of the manufacture of
footwear would not hold for the manu-
facture of rubber toys and balloons,
nor of rubber syringes and fountain
pens, nor or tires. Not only are there
great differences in the processes,
due to the different kinds of goods
made, but there are differences which
depend upon the theories of the manu-
facturer and the quality of the goods.
1t is possible to equip and manage
rubber factory so that exposures to
the various industrial poisons will be
reduced to an insignificant minimum
or wholly eliminated. Relatively lit
tie, however, seems to have been done
in this direction. Often the danger is
not recognized, so that even when the
equipment of a factory permits a Civ
en- process to be carried on safely,
it may, through ignorance or careless
ness, be performed in a fashion which
makes it dangerous.
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the danger of delaying those conces