The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-07-22
LEAD POISONING
 IN POTTERY TRADE

constantly exposed to lead poisoning, chiefly from the lead contained m Ithe glaze, and that this danger can be reduced. provided that certain fa- cilities and methods are altered by the pottery owners, and certain precau- tions taken by the workers, sums up the findings of report to the United States Public Health Service, made | By. Consulting Hygienist Bernard J.
 Newman, Dr. William J. Mcconnell.
 pr. O. M. Spencer, and Statistician F. M Phi1liaps This report is now in press
 The investigation, which was begun 1 early in 1919, had been requested by the Brotherhood of Operative Potters | because they desired to disprove the contentious that their trade was ex- tren1ely hazardous and that the work
 men in csetan eertaln ,s.a oaecupations & were | contentious were maintained by life 1 insurance companies as grounds for | discrimination in the granting of life | of pottery workers. The investigators received cordial support from both the workers and the pottery manag- | CTS.
 New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, employing 21,000 per | sons or 5S per cent of the total pot tery workers in the United States,
 exposed to lead were exmained, and of the total examined, 1,504 were | males and 39S females. A very large
 majority of the workers employed in the pottery industry are native born l Americans.
 | The portal of entrance through
 which the larger part of the lead is received by the body was found to be | the stomach, as the lead was inhaled | as dust, retained in the nasal and | pharyngeal cavities and later swallow | ed with mucus, saliva, and food. The | chewing of tobacco. eating food con- 1 taminated with lead dust, and care i lessness in personal habits such as | wiping the lips, mustache, etc., with | glaze covered fingers, are contribtory | means toward the entrance Of the lead | into the human body.
 A lesser but still important portal | of entry is by the lungs which absorb
 lead from fumes as we'll as dust Alp sorption of lead through the skin is
 possible but was found to be almost negligible in this case. | Risk of lead poisoning differs greatly in the many occupations of the pottery trade. The highest per
 centage of poisoning among men was | found to be among the dippers and the next highest among the mixers and the odd men. The highest per
 centage of poisoning among the
 women is among the dippers' helpers
 and the ware gatherers, These
 among both men and women, are
 specified occupations, brought into d1-
 rect contact with the glaze.
 | The percentage of lead poisoning
 for these. as well as for other work
 CTS, drops as the percentage of lead l used in the glaze decreases and lead | poisoning of course may be expected
 to disappear when leadless glaze IS
 used. The adoption and use of lead
 less glazes is not impossible Tor they
 are used now satisfactorily by Euro
 pean potteries. Certain objections
 however. which have prevented thelr
 use in America, can at present be
 overcome only by radical changes m l ,fr<a& r1-1r ri n-
 ods However, great Improvements toward the decrease of lead poisoning
 can be brought about by the adoption of fritted lead glazes, as it would only
 be necessary to employ two or three
 men to prepare and frit the glaze against the present methods now em-
 ployed whereby large numbers come
 in contact with the lead glaze either
 in it's preparation or it's use- Methods
 and formulas for making proper TITUS
 are given in the report
 The number of cases of poisoning
 found in the various occupations of
 the pottery trade does not alone es-
 tabIish their relative hazard, for this
 must be considered in the light Of nu-
 merous modifying factors. The in
 vestigation, for instance. showed tnat the number of cases of lead poisoning increases with age of the workers, | with their relative years of exposure and with the length of the work day. It showed also that poisoning is more
 prevalent among the men than among the women; but this was shown to be due to- the fact that the men had | been exposed for about three times as many years as the women It showed also that poisoning was more l prevalent among workers who eat in the workroom or drink from vessels
 used In the workroom but not prop erIy covered; and in plants where the l toilet facilities, ventilation, and lighting are bad, and in those where the dust counts and percentage of lead in the dust are high. It Is easy l to see that any or all Of these respec- tive factors are likely to be influenced
 by the susceptibility of the individual l or play a more or less important part ! in the production Of lead poisoning 1 as the personal habltS and tendenc1eS | of the individual vary
 | The relative weight to be given to l these and other minor factors Is very difficult to fix definitely, and the aunh- | ors urge that no one should jump at inc conclusion that to remedy any
 particular condition other than re- 1 move the lead from the glaze, would
 The effect of each and all of them, | however, deserves careful considera- | ton. N
 | The most important recommenda-
 tions given to the workers who are
 really anxious to protect themselves 1 follow: Always eat good breakfast; drisk milk; never eat or drink in the ] vufGroom; and never drink from un- 1 covered containers kept in the work room. Never wear street clothing and shoes in the workroom; never
 take work clothes home;and keep the | work clothes and street clothes in
 separate sections of the locker. While 1 at work do not chew tobacco or gum;
 do not spit on the floor; do not wear l boards; do not stroke mustache with | pIe-eroated hands while at work;
 and do not put fingers, if covered
 with glaze, on lips or in mouth. Keep
 your hair covered in the worl1room; | When quitting work wash face and hands with hot water; clean finger
 nadls; and rinse out mouth. Avoid
 creating dust; insist that only wet
 sweeping and dusting De done; and
 avoid spilling glaze, as it will create lead dust.
 l Plant managers should supply:
 Bubbifng fountains with pa1atable | drinking water; adequate dressing | rooms with two compartment lock-