The Washington times., 1933-10-14

Secrets OF
Health
By DIR. LOUIS E. BIsCH
Lead Poisoning More Common
Than Supposed

Lead POISONING More Common
Than Supposed
Lead poisoning is also known
as plumbism. Contrary to
what one might suppose, it is
far from an uncommon dis
ease.
Painters, plumbers and glaz-
ers-in fact, all persons who
handle lead in any form in
their work-are especially sus-
ceptible to it's toxic effects.
What has happened, of course,
in all poison cases that the
hands have not been kept
clean and the lead has either
been brought to the mouth
via the hands or it has been
absorbed through the skin.
Even the careless handling
of hair dyes, thread, and
false teeth has been known to
cause plumbism. In fact, wom-
en- are more susceptible to
lead poisoning than are men;
children are the least SuScep.
tible.
Water and Wine
Drinking water which has
passed through lead pipes or
which has been stored in
cisternS lined with lead, also
may cause lead poisoning.
Cider and wine which contain
acids may become lead"
through contact with lead con-
tainerS.
Anemia is among the firsI
symptoms to appear in these
cases. This anemia may be
very severe, the red blood corpus
cles being reduced to half their
normal number. In some caSe9
even the structure Of the red
blood corpuscle is changed.
A typical state of abdominal
cramps, known as lead colic,"
is present in most individuals
who have been poisoning them
selves steadily for long period.
These spaSmS involve the entire
abdomen, are severe, and may
be accompanied by vomiting.
There may also be diarrhoea.
Strange as it may seem, every
now and then a patient, dag
nosed as suffering from plumb
ism, is discovered to have had
these severe spells of collie for
months without suspecting the
real nature of his trouble. The
probable explanation is that
such persons cannot conceive
how the poisonous products
that come in contact with hands
could possibly enter their SyS-
TENS. Yet it has been demon
Strated that lead may find its
way not only into the digestive
tract, but even into the lungs.
In plumbism lead is found in
the urine.
"BIue Line"
Besides the symptoms already
mentioned, fever, delirium and
convulsions may be part Of q
case of poisoning. A sign that
is proof positive is the well.
known "blue line" on the gums.
This sign, however, is not
necessarily present in all lead
cases. Really, two Lines are to
be noted. One is between the
gums and the teeth-along the
edges of the gums. This can
be removed readily by clean
ing the teeth and by rinsing
the mouth with water. The
other line is the true "blue line"
because it actually is in the
gums. 1t is formed by the
absorption of lead into the tis-
sues and it's conversion there
into a black sulphide, hence
the BLUSH black color.
Lead poisoning may be so
severe as to cause paralysis Of
the arms, legs or both. Most
cases also present decided hard
ening Of the arteries.
II workers in lead were TO
protect their hands with gloves
and their mouths and noses
with gauze, and, in addition,
were careful not to eat or
smoke without first washing
the hands thoroughly, the dan
ger of contracting plumhism
would be remote.
Every such patient must, Of
course, stop the work that has
caused the disease and avoid it
until he has been cured. Var
ious remedies are employed, de-
pending upon the exact nature
Of the case.