Evening star., 1932-10-25
SUGGESTS REMEDY
FOR AIR POLLUTION
Chicagoan, at Health Ses-
sion, Proposes Central Heat.
ing Plants in Cities.

Central heating plants and "smoke
sewers" for big American cities were
suggested as possible solution for the
growing air pollution problem by DR..
Fred c. Tonney of the Chicago Health
Department. speaking before the Ameri-
can Public Heath Association today.
Polluted air. shutting out the ultra
violet radiation of the sun, was pre-
sented to the association today as a
health problem ranking with polluted
water or milk. The deficiency in ultra
violet light works insidious damage,
especially among children, Dr. Tonney
pointed out.
clum and phosphorus metaboliSm of the
organism. One of the overt results is
the causing of rickets which can be
prevented by doses of cod liver oil or
other substances. The ultraviolet light
syntheslZes in the body vitamin D, enc
OF the essential vitamins, which in turn
acts as catalyst, enabling the organ
ism to make use of the calcium and
phosphorus in the blood for building up
bones and teeth.
Tides in the Blood.
Recent investigations have shown, Dr.
Tonney said, that there are calcium and
phosphorus tides in the blood. which
rise and ebb with the seasons. the curve
being exactly the same as that for ultra
violet light abundance. In nature the
deficiency of this light during the three
Winter months is met by the storage Of
Ntamin D in the body during the Sum-
mer, b{ when the natural order is in
terfere4 with, as by smoke clouds, this
etorageIis not sufficient.
Besides causing rickets, DR.. Tonney
said, there is increasing evidence that
disturbed metabolism is basically re-
sponsible for the greater ease of bac-
terra infections, especially those caus-
ing the respiratory diseases. These tend
70 De more abundant among City than
country children and the respiratory
death rate curves of the larger cities
Is just the reverse of the calcium tide
curve
Ultraviolet deficiency also was re-
lated to poor teeth, commonly supposed
to be due to an insufficient utilization
of calcium. The basic factor, it was
brought out in the discussion. probably
Is the lack of phosphorus. Recent ex-
f~AAASAAeo Nv oOA1Aio 42OphlllS
1t was pointed out, have shown that
tooth decay occurs when the amount of
phosphorus in the saliva becomes low
SO that the supply in the teeth is dis
solved, like sugar in water. The result
Is that openings are made for bacterial
invasion Of the teeth.
Bathing Contributes.
1t also was brought out in the dis
cussion that the frequent thorough
bathing of human beings may intensi-
1y the results of ultraviolet deficiency
as compared with conditions among the
lower animals. 1t tends to remove the
lrradiateo layer of fat on the skin sur
lace, one OF natures storage places for
Vltam1n D. The advantages of bath
ing for health, however offset this
drawback, it was stressed.
Deficiency Of ultraviolet light, it
was stated by DR.. Haven Emerson of
Columbia University, may be a con-
fever that results in illness and death
OF many children. The amount of heart
diseases in children caused by rheu-
matte fever falls off steadily from Bos-
ton south to Atlanta, he said, seeming
to correspond to the increasing amount
OF sunshine as one moves south. Re-
cent surveys in Puerto Rico have shown
that there Is no rheumatic fever at ALL
The indications are that decreased SUM-
shine increases the activity of the rhe-
matte fever virus.
If heating by coal continues, DR..
Tonney asked, may the solution not be
central heat reservoirs possibly operated
by the Government and supplying heat
to private consumers as water now
is supplied? This would make pos
slble a rigid smoke control, possibly
by disposing of it through underground
channels. He also stressed the pos
sibility that the heating of the future
may be by gas or electricity. The waste
from gas furnaces, he said, have no
demonstrable effect on the transmission
Of ultraviolet light.
Bacteria Counting Machine.
A new bacteria counting machine
that shows the number of bacteria and
other impurities in air was exhibited by
w. F. Wells of the Harvard School of
Public Health. 1t separates bacteria
from stream of air by centrifugal
force, much on the principle of cream
separator. 1t was suggested that the
machine would be useful in insuring
purity of air in air-conditioning sys-
TENS. removing pollens from air for the
benefit Of hay fever sufferers and in
studying the tiny droplets sprayed from
the mouth in caughing and sneezing
These droplets are suspected of helping
spread colds, influenza and infantile
paralysis.
Vitamin c, the scurvy preventive
vitamin, contained in such substances
as orange juice and tomato juice, may
have some of the properties of the
long sought elixer of youth, it was
pointed out by Dr. Henry S. Sherman
of Columbia University.
One of the outstanding effects of age,
he said, was the increasing weakness of
the capillaries. Recent experiments
have shown that this tends to be Offset
by vitamin c. This still unknown sub
stance, 1t was explained, may have
some similarity to epinephrine, the
powerful heart stimulaht obtained from
the adrenal glands.