Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-17
Health Talks by Dr.. <Brady
The I.crIis OF Iicn,nI.

Since the MAR new solvent has been in
troduced in the rubber goods manufacturing
ttircs. footwear. rubber hose. ctc). certain
processes OF straw hat manufactures. the max =
Ing Of sealing mixtures for tin cans nv :; sol l..
vent for fabrikoid and 10 some extent as "A
substitute for gasoline in motor engine fuel
This new Soivcn; is bcnzcnc benzoI, and
Il is a poison sometimes producing swift dcat II
when inhaled in Vapor or fumes. II is "A coal
tar distillatc. and is not to be confused with
the wcll-known petroleum distllato called
benzin. which is practically innocuous. This
instance, cited by DR.. Alice Hamilton. who is
& leading authority on industrial hygiene IL
illustrates the potency of benzol:
In one OF the great steel mills OF Pcnnsyi-
wanna. two men were sent to change coils in
a bcnz"nc (bcnzoD tank which had been thor
ouGhiy blown out with steam. one OF them
was not affected ALL the other was over
come by the fumes and died"
And here is another Instance which DR.
Adams cites in her report on the Menace Of
Bcnzcnc tBcnzcl) Poisoning in American In
duStrN":
Even greater precautions had boon taken
in an English tank which had been o,r,p,icd
OF b"nzonc. washed with water. then steamed
out. them left for twenty four hours fun OF
water, washed out twice. boiled tor twelve
hours. ana finally left for ton days with tho
siNt""n-inch nianh"l" open. Nevertheless. the
man who was sent in collapsed: and although
h" was pHed out in time one OF his rcscucrs
died"
y man Wen; to tho TOP or sim in a hen
zen" refining plant in New Jersey tn nui
out what was wrong. There was q bad leak
hr was overcome 10y III" fumes and tainted.
and although it was only two or three min
ut"s before TWO other men rescued him ha
was m"rihund. Both OF his roScucrs tainted
nut w"r" revived. y workman in a Pcunsyl-
wanna plaut relied upon Draegcr hclrnet to
protect him when hc entered "a bcuzcrc tank
hui was overcome by tho fumes and died Be
fore any man may safely enter a tank In
which b"nzene has been. some white mice
should he used to test the air in the tank; IL
tho mice survive when lowered To The bottom
then IL is safe for the to enter not be-
fore.
Nine girls employed in tire factory using
rubber cement. in which benzene was the
Solvent. suffered hcmorrhages from many
parts "i the body hemorrahaEcs into tho skin
and mucous membranes. and four Of them died
IN Tess than four months Several similar
cases occurred In Maryland can factory IN
which girls were employed To work with n
sealing mixture having bcnzenc for the sol
vent
u appears that this excellent and cheap SOL
vent for rubber. resins and other trade ma
tcfla!S attacks tho blood corpusclcs Cas do
most coat tar derivatives used as medicne)
ana also produces grave injury the nerve
c"ht"Ts serious poisoning may occur from |
breathing air containing as little one part !
OF b'nz"n" thenzoD In 10000 parts OF air
y strong suction should be Installed M the
r"!nt 81 origin Of the fumes. when benzcne is /
employed industrially. to carry OFF the fumes !
and protect the worker from a iethal poison /
IN the vanishing OF automobiles removing
shellac from the news OF Il church cemcntinr
,ahriko!d on textiles or building automobile
tres"