Pueblo chieftain., 1922-03-02
DEADLY YCHEM|CAlS MADE USEFUL NDHARMLESs
By FREDERIC J. HAsK1N

Conference for the Limitation OF Ar
maments. recently concluded here,
agreed upon treaty ending the use
OF the gas In warfare and upon chem
icai warfare generally. Until the sem
ate rattfies this treaty II will not be
binding upon the United States OF
course. and there Is strong opposition
to ratification from those who con-
tend that troops and ships could be
rendered ineffective easily and with
IA. fewer deaths and permanent in
jur'eS thru the use OF chemicals than
with older weapons OF war.
At this time. tho. the Chemical War
fare Service Is turning its attention
u peace time uses OF the combinations
OF chemicals worked out during the
war.
Before the war Germany had prac-
tically world monopoly in many
che emical lines. So far as the United
states is concerned. Its new chemical
Industry. while growing tremendously.
Is classed as an infant industry. An
industrial war between the German
chemical houses and American manu-
facturcrs is in progress now. This
fact has helped to stimulate the Army
TO finding peace uses for war gases.
Phosgenc gas. described as the most
effective weapon OF this sort devised
during the war. is now being used in
the manufacture of perfume. It Is
being converted into Il delicate, pene-
;rating and lasting violet perfume
which is expected to gain considcrab bic
popularity.
In the work of converting chemicals.
- the uses OF peace and industry. the
Chemical Warfare Service is copcrat-
ing with the Treasury Department. the
Department OF the Interior. the De-
partmcnt Of Agriculture, and the De-
partmcnt OF Commerce, as well as the
Bureau OF Standards. one or more
cooperative projects with each OF these
governmental agencies has been under
taken.
SHIP FUMIGATIoN EXPERIMENTS
With the Treasury Department there
has been taken up the question OF
fumisating ships. with the idea Of
making this fumigation more efficient
ana nj the samc time safer. At pres
ont, hydrocyanlc acid gas is used for
this purpose. The great trouble with
1t is that after fumigation II is difficult
to determine that this highly poisonous
gas has been removed from all parts
or the ship. 1t Is not readily detected
by odor or otherwise. Deaths now and
then occur from some one entering a
compartment from which all of tho
fumigating gas has not been removed
Then occurred the idea OF combining
tear gas with the poisonous hydrocy-
anic acid gas. Coopcrativc. expert
mcnts are being conducted with this
end lin view. Difficulties have arisen.
ar Is usually the case in this expert
mental work. but these difficulties
arc being iroDed out rapidly. and there
is promise that the Public Health Ser
vice of the Treasury Department soon
wilt have at its command n ship fum-
cation method much safer to human
life than that which has been used.
Phosgene gas to kill rats is being cx-
perImcnted with. too. In one expert
ment undertaken with the Public
Health Service this gas WAS used
against the rats in the seawall at San
Juan. Porto Rico. The experiment
was pronounced officially as "of
value" as the determination of rats
in scaports IL one of the principal
means OF guarding the country against
the entry Of plague.
In the experiments undertaken with
the Department OF the Interior. the
use of the gas mask for industrial pur-
poses is being developed. Close CO.
operation exists between the Bureau
of Mines and the Chemical Warfare
Service. Many ideas OF great value
in the Use of the gas mask In industry
have been developed. notably the dis
covcry OF "hopcalite.' which when put
in the canister OF n gas mask. changes
the deadly carbon monuXide gas en-