Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-21
NEW FACTORY DANGERS
ny FREDERIC ). HAskIn

WASHINGToN. July 1S.-In the past
three years hundreds Of explosions
have occurred in American munition
plants Many men and women have
been killed. In many cases the cause
OF the explosion WAS known, in others
II was not. but in every case an immc-
date investigation was made by the
plant owners and all possible precau-
tons were taken to prevent n recur-
renee OF tho catastrophe. Now tho
plant owners are facing a new and
ugly problem-much moro difficult to
solve than that of occasional explo-
sions.
1t has recently been found that dur
Ing this same period OF three years
thousands OF workmen In munition fac
tories have been poisoned. Some have
escaped with merely skin eruptions.
lung and bronchial affiictions and sore
eyes: others have died. There is the
case OF n young Girl nineteen years old
who was employed by factory to dip
explosive charges for shells in liquid
parahn. After two weeks OF this work
sho was transferred to the once. A
rev days later her skin began TO turn
yellow. she was constantly nausea ed
and finally sank into profound coma
which ended in death.
Not Recognized Mt First.
At the beginning tho cause OF these
mysterious cases of poisoning was not
recognized. They were an entirely
new development to the average Amer
lean doctor. and apparently the plant
owners understood them no better.
Then the United States Department Of
Labor put DIR. Alice Hamilton on tho
case DR.. Hamilton Is n scientist Of
very high standing. and almost as great
s!euth as she is a scientist. More
over. DR.. Hamilton, having studied the
munition industries of other countries.
knew beforehand what she was likely
TO md. She wasted no time trying
to trace the fine Italian hand OF the
The mysters! was not much Of a mys-
tory after all. There was no plot or
hidden clue. The workmcn were vic
inns OF the various chemical fumes
that escape in the manufacture OF high
explosives. Nitro acid. benzoI. phenol
or carbolic acid and illuminate OF mer-
curry are all dangerous poisons hav-
inS disastrous effect on the human
constitution, yet these very chemicals
are absolutely necessary to the mu-
nit;ons industry.
Isnues Her Report.
Or. Hamilton has just issued a re-
port covering the details Of her in
NeStiSaton-a report that Is exceed
irEly valuable from = scientific as we'll
as an industrial standpoint. She first
points out that the manufacture OF
high explosives in the United States
grew up practically overnight. with
out plan. without system and without
made armament TO limited extent.
but We had never before made e1plo-
s:res wholesale. Before the war we
imported benzol. toluol an!line and car
ho!!c acid: Tow we distil them our
selves. Trinitrotoluol or INT one Of
the deadliest Doisons. was never made
in this country until we started putting
II in shells TO be sent to Europe. Thus
in creating new industries and under
things which We did not know. Work
men we're not tho only ones to suh
fer MaEy chemists and engineers also
los: their lives
When DR.. Hamilton started her In
vestiSat.on in the spring Of 1916 con-
ditons were very bad. She visited
forty-onc factories. employing alto
gether 3o.oo3 persons whose work was
directly connected with the poisonous
processes used in making explosives
IL is impossible to give accurate ng-
ures as to the amount O! sickness
and death caused by work In this in
says. for the information cannot be
secured. Many cases were never rec
oEn!Zed: many others we're seen by
company physicians or insurance ply
siclans. who are unwilling 10 give any
Information or tell anything about
them. and in still other factories. some
or them ploying hundreds OF men.
there Is either no medical care or II is
so inadequate as 10 be of little use"
So DR. Hamilton's list of patients Is
smaller than IL should be. on account
OF the lack Of DEFINITE records, bur
what data she has collected is sufo-
GENTLY startling To arouse ayar,, CO..