Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-18
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT Is DOING

! In connection with the present sit
uation in this country an investigation
which is just nearing COM
Industrial pletion by experts of the
p.: United States bureau Of Ia
AoAsons' Dor statistics into indus
trial poisons used in the making Of ex-
plosives should be of particular inter-
est. 1t 10 true that the study has not
been made in connection with any pos
sible war that this country may have,
but was made in connection with the
work that has been done in our Amer
lean munition factories for the armies
of Europe.
Although. as generally well known,
the great rush of contracts for the
European market has been diminishing
during the last few months. there is
still a great deal of high explosive man.
ufactured in the United States. and mill
lions of shells are still being filled with
explosive charges. Moreover. 1t would
he mistake. say the experts, to sup
pose that these plants will close down
after the war is over Many men in
the industry believe that the com
pounds now being manufactured for
military purposes can be used for peace
explosives or as basis for the manu-
factrre OF dyes and other chemicals for
witch We formerly depended entirely
on Europe.
This is a new and unfamiliar indus
try In the United States. We have
manufactured nitroglycerin and mer-
curry illuminate for many years to a
very small extent, and such explosives
as guncotton. smokeless powder and
ricric acid. but Cnrbolc acid and hem
zene and toluene and anilire 80 ner"~
sarN in the making of explosives, used
to come from Germany. and the new
materials for decorators and shells
have been made here to n very limited
extent This means that only in a few
ons-established factories were the
problems connected with such work
well understood, and there were only
a few company physicians who knew
anything about the poisons involved in
tho industry.
The experts of the bureau have made
their investigation in forty munitions
plants in the United States and as a
result in the near future will formulate
methods Of prevention and treatment
of the poisoning incident to work in
these factories. In the event that the
United States is drawn into the war
this investigative work will be most
he1pful
Those who conducted this study say
that 1t has not been possible to dis
cover how much occupationa1 disea Sc
has been caused by work in this indus
try since the war broke out. Some
rlants. 1t is said. not many. furnish no
medical service to their men. who must
so to outside doctors, and If the physi-
clan is not familiar with the work in
that plant he does not think Of class
majority Of firms making explosives, it
was found. employ a physician to take
care Of their r,en. but If he makes only
occasional visits to the plant. or II he
mpresses the men-only too inclined
to be suspicious-as more bent on
shielding the company than on caring
for them. they will go off to other doc
tors. Such physicians usually cannot
or will not give any information to an
investigator.
There are numbers of poisonous gases
around the munition plants but 1t is
said that the two explosives that are
attended with the greatest amount of
poisoning from nitrous fumes are nitro
cellulose and picric acid. and in some
ways the latter was found the more
dangerous. Picric acid can be made, 1t
is said, with a very simple equipment
provided no attention is paid to the
safety Of the workmen. and 1t was
found in the investigative work OF the
bureau that men were nitrating phenol
to picric acid in ways which were prim-
tive and very dangerous because of the
escape of nitrous fumes AS a matter
Of fact. the conditions around many of
ed. were very bad for the workmen.
In connection with the very thorough
study that was made OF these plants
in various parts Of the country it is
said that there is not as usual thing
much, If any, instruction given the men
as to how to protect themselves against
the dangers OF sickness brought on by
the work. Indeed in some no ipstruc-
ton at all seems to be given. perhaps.
1t is suggested by the experts. because
the company fears to brighten away
men at a time when labor is scarce.
Men working in a large triton shell
rlant told the investigators that they
had never even been told the stuff was
guncotton plant visited has regular
system Of instruction for the force.
taking the men. according to depart
ments. and giving them lectures in
English and in their own languages.
explaining the dangers peculiar to the
Il epa rtments In which they work. So
far as possible. it is said. these talks
are illustrated by stereonticon pictures
fume sickness for five months. The
first month there were 266 cases among
$50 men; the fifth month "a cases among
621 men.
Fatigue quickens and strengthens the
effect of the poisons Overtime work
Increases sickness. but there are fac
tories. it Is said that. without any
overtime. work their men to the point
of dangerous fatigue. Four were found
that had but two shifts In the twenty
four hours, and one of these even
urged the men to work overtime, for
fourteen to sixteen hours, because labor
was hard to get.
AS result of the study the officials
say that men with LESSONS in lungs or
kidneys will be unduly endangered by
work Of this character and should be
discharged soon as the condition is
discovered. The same is said to be true
poisons being far below the average
and they should not be employed on
such work.
1t is possible, 1t Is said by experts OF
the geological survey. that this coun-
try may COM
American Stone for pete in the quar-
rying of litho-
TYPOGRAPHY. graphic stone
with the well known Bavarian stone at
the conclusion of the European war
In 1915. for the h-s: time. there was
: considerable production of this kind
OF stone in the United States. 1t was
auarr!ed in Kentucky. In 1916. ac-
cording to figures compiled by the sur
yev. one company marketed about 49,
900 pounds.
The greatest difficulty in developing
the photographic stone quarries in the
United States has been the high cost
Of oporryipp and ureDariQg the stone