The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-07-10
Women's Diseases
Studied By Bureau
Common Types Of Occupa-
tiondl Diseases Affecting
Women


learning new skills, earning regular
wages, finding new personal satisfac-
tions. But they are being exposed to
new health hazards.
Practically all industries present
some dangers to workers health, ac-
cording to a bulletin of the Federal
Women's Bureau released today. Some
Of these hazards are known, along
with effective means of prevention.
Others arising from new substances
used are particularly treacherous be-
cause their effects on the human body
are unknown in advance, and months
may pass before identifiable and often
fatal symptoms appear If for any
reason protective and preventive
consequent industrial diseases prove
extremely costly to workers and EN-.
employers alike.
While the report points out that
effective action in the field of pre-
vention Of industrial diseases has
that the urgency Of the defense pro-
gram for quantity production may
mean relaxation of attention to
plant health problems. This is par
ticularly serious for women workers.,
whose illness rate is already higher
than that of men.
The new Women's Bureau bulletin
entitled "The Occurrence and Preven-
tion of Occupational Diseases Among
Women," summarizes the records of
State agencies in nine states and spe-
cial studies in the field, from 1885 to
1888. Among the most serious job
hazards to women's health are expos
ure to great variety of harmful
materials, repetitive motion, organic
dusts and abnormalities of tempera-
ture and humidity
Greatly increased interest in prob
lens connected with the diseases of
industry are noted in the report for
the years 1885 to 1889. While at the
close of 1884 only IL states, three ter
ritories, the District Of Columbia and
the Federal Government compensated
for occupational diseases, by the close
of the legislative sessions Of 1889 the
number of such laws had doubled. I'M
portant also were the amendments te
three state laws which added to the
schedule Of diseases to be compensat
ed in the state "any and all other oc
cupational diseases" The Importance
of this 'blanket provision" covering
any illness that is occupational il
character is seen when workers il
states without such provisions, seri
ously injured by some new and un
listed diseases, cannot receive com
pensation. Progress has also beer
shown in the development of state
industrial hygiene projects.
The most common types of occu
pational disease affecting women a:
shown by the reports from eight o1
the states are as follows:
Dermatitis or skin infection causet
by exposure to many substances in
cluding cleaning agents, dyes, vege
tables, fruits, plants, dusts, rubber
oils and greases, other chemicals;
Synovitis and other diseases result
ing from repetitive movement pres
sure, or vibration, as operating a ma
chine, packing or wrapping packages
folding, typing or continuous use O
hand tools;
Lead poisoning;
Volatile solvent poisoning resultin,
from use of such substances as ben
zol, carbon tetrachloride, wood alco
hol amido benzine and naphthalene
Other systemic poisoning followin,
exposure to substances, such as ra
dunn, hydrofuoric acid, dye and ga
fumes;
Chrome ulcerations from exposur
to chronic acid in the plating, dip
ping, and scrubbing of metal stamp
ing;
Respiratory diseases from work i
dusty occupations; and
Contagious diseases such as tubel
culosis, scarlet fever, measles, etc.
The report shows clearly that wher
the danger of exposure to a specifi
hazard is known, adequate preventa
tive steps can be taken. An eXampl
cited was the occurrence Of an un
usually large number of cases of lea
poisoning reported in one year i
Ohio. Practically all the women at
fected were employed in glass fac
tories, the men in automobile plants
When proper precautionary measure
were adopted in these plants tn
cases of lead poisoning the year flc
lowing dropped from 1875 to 55.
The evidence is conclusive tha
there is continual need for constar
check on the use not only of sui
stances known to be poisonous but o
those whose dangerous or Harmless
potentialties have not as yet bee
determined.
The extent to which women hav
been exposed to industrial hazards
shown through report form stud
Of industrial health problems cor
Quoted in Pennsylvania in 1884.
10000 manufacturing establishment
covered, 22S,0OO women were expose
to organic dusts, 10000 to abnormal
ties of temperature and humidity, ID
900 to repeated motion pressure an