The Washington herald., 1921-07-17
Lead Poisoning in Pottery.
THAT workers engaged in certain branches
the pottery trade are seriously and constan


= exposed to lead poisoning. chiefly from the
lead contained in the glaze and that this danger can
be reduced provided that certain facilities and meth
ods are altered by the pottery owners and certain
precautions taken by the workers, sums up the md
ings of a report to the United States Public Health
Service, made by Consulting Hygenist Bernard j.
Newman, DR.. William J. Mcconnell, Dr. o. M.
Spencer, and Statiscian F. NJ Phillips This report
Is now in press
The investigation, which was begun early in 1919,
had been requested by the Brotherhood OF Operative
Poters because they desired to disprove the conen
tions that their trade was extremely hazardous and
that the workmen in certain occupations were likely
TO develop lead poisoning. These contentious were
maintained by life nsrance companies as grounds for
discrimination in the granting of life insurance poll
ces certain groups OF pottery workers The invest
gators received cordial support from both the workers
and the pottery managers.
Ninety-two poteries situated in New Jersey,
Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, employing
2Iooo persons or s. per cent OF the total pottery
workers in the United States, investigated.
Only the workers exposed to lead were examined,
and of the total examined 1904 were males and 3oS
females A very large majority of the workers en-
ployed in the pottery industry are native born Amer-
The portal of entrance through which the larger
part of the lead is received by the body was found
to be the stomach, the lead inhaled as dust,
retained in the nasal and pharyngeal cavities and
later swallowed with mucus, saliva and food. Inc
chewing of tobacco eating food contaminated with
lead dust and careessness in personal habits such as
wiping the lips, mustache etc, with glaze-covered
fingers, contributory 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 well as
dust Absorption of lead through the skin is posi-
bic but was found be almost negligible in this case
Risk of lead poisoning differs greatly in the many
occupations of the pottery trade. The highest per-
sentage of poisoning among men was found to be
among the dippers and the next highest among the
mixers and the odd The highest percentage OF
poisoning among the women is among the dippers
helpers and the gatherers These among both
men and women specified occupations, brought
into direct contact with the glaze
The percentage of lead poisoning for these, as
well as for other workers. drops as the percentage
of lead used in the glaze decreases and lead poison
ing of course may be expected to disappear when
leadless glaze is used. The adoption and use OF
leadless glaze is not impossible for it is used
now satisfactorily by European potteres Certain OBJ
iections however, which have prevented its use IN
American can at present be overcome only by radi-
cal changes in the manufacturing and firing methods
However great improvements toward the decrease OF
lead poisoning can be brought about by the adoption
of fritted lead glazes, it would only be necessary
to employ two three men to prepare and frit the
glaze against the present methods now employed,
whereby large numbers come in contact with the lead
glaze either in its preparation or its use. Methods
and formulas for making proper frits are given in