686
T H E -TOURNAL OF INDL-STRIAL, AA‘D E:YGI,YEERISG C H E M I S T R Y .
Sept.. 1912
CURRENT INDUSTRIAL NEWS B y W. A. HAMOR.
FACTORY INSPECTION. The Blue Book containing the annual report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops for 1911 has just been issued in London, and its contents should prove of great interest to those engaged in the study of industrial diseases. According to the Chemical Trcide Journal, 51, 4, the points of special interest to the chemical trades dealt with in the report are the following:Regulations for Dangerous 7 ra&s.-The regulations for the smelting of lead material, etc., render obsolete the special rules for lead smelting and for the manufacture of red, orange and yellow lead. Subject to certain exemptions for materials containing negligible quantities of lead, the code requires the suppression or removal of dangerous dust or fumes; the provision of overalls and respirators in certain processes ; the exclusion of persons under 16 years of age and females from lead processes; the exclusion of persons from furnaces, etc., until ventilated; the restriction of the duration of work in flues and condensing chambers; the provision of meal rooms, etc.; and the periodical medical examination of workers in lead processes. Chemical Works.-Hilditch states that although vats and pans containing liquid of a dangerous character are being fenced in conformity with Rule I, yet the deleterious action of acid fumes upon the stanchions and rails requires careful and periodical examination. Workmen frequently place a plank across a full vat to save themselves the trouble of going around or between pots. Dunolly, owing to two fatalities, gave special attention to the fencing of the waste liquor settling tanks of ammonium sulphate plants. These tanks are about 5 feet deep, and are divided into two sections which are alternatively filled with the boiling waste liquor through a special by-pass channel. He explains that only one section-the one containing the hot liquor-is really dangerous, but the two workmen happened to fall into that tank. Benzene Derivatives.-Last year one case of dinitro-benzole poisoning was reported, and it was thought that by the careful selection and timely suspension of workmen by appointed surgeons, the cases could be reduced to a minimum. This year, however, 23 cases were reported. These were due to an exceptionally warm English summer, with the consequent greater absorption of the poison by the more open pores. The method of manufacture is said to be still primitive, and more automatic working in places laid with impervious washable floors is considered essential. An improved method of breaking up cake, enclosing of apparatus as much as possible, and provision of much stronger exhaust, are urged as remedies. There were three cases of skin disease reported in 1911as against 16 in 19x0; one case of eczema and one of dermatitis from a factory in which dinitrochlorbenzole is made; and two cases of aniline absorption among workmen in a factory where cotton cloth is dyed. FACTORY VENTILATION. I t is stated in Popular Mechanics, 18, 202, that the heating and ventilating equipment of a new factory building in Springfield, Mass., includes two air-cooling machines of the waterspray type. The air is taken in through an opening in the pent house, enters the cooling machine, is drawn through the water spray, passes a number of baffle plates, continues through the fan into the stair well and passes from there through the louvers into the workrooms. After it has circulated through a workroom it leaves through the upper louvers in the center partitions and is drawn into the main stair well. The water for the machine is taken from the well a t a rate of about 60 gallons per
minute for each machine and a t a temperature of about j 4 O ’F. The manufacturers guarantee that air entering a t 95’ F. and containing 9.3 grains of water to the cubic foot will be cooled to 78’ F. I t is calculated that under these conditions it will be possible to keep the temperature inside the building about 9 deg. lower than the outside, changing the air four times an hour.
MERCURY POISONING. A report on “Mercury Poisoning in the Industries of New York City and Vicinity,” by Mrs. I,. W. Bates, has been issued by the National Civic Federation. Outside of felt hat manufacture, the industries using mercury are not extensive; they are very limited within a radius of fifty miles of New York City. I n hatters’ fur cutting, a solution of mercury nitrate is employed in carotting, and mercury poisoning is likely to happen in the subsequent process of cutting and brushing by inhalation of particles of fur impregnated with nitrate of mercury. Neither mercury nor any of its salts is used in hat making proper: mercurialism results from the earlier treatment in carotting, yet much more poisoning occurs in the hat making than in the fur cutting processes, owing to the mercurial dust disseminated in certain operations of hat making (blowing, forming, hardening, and sizing). Cases are cited and experiences are recorded to show that mercury is manifestly a poison which, in occupations, is inimical to health and calls for regulation. Mrs. Bates concludes that the unhealthy nature of the trade should be placarded; that eating and drinking should be forbidden in rooms where mercurial processes are conducted; that ample washing facilities should be installed; that proper drinking water should be supplied; that sweeping should be superseded by vacuum cleaning; that the mixing of mercury and acids should be done after working hours; that rubber gloves and respirators should be supplied; that the h a t industry should be regulated by special legislation, requiring the elimination from the atmosphere of steam, heat, acid fumes and mercury vapor, fur and dust, a t their source of production; that regular medical inspection should be provided ; and that compensation and insurance should be supplied for the men working in these processes. SPECIFICATIONS FOR REFRACTORIES. The Refractory Material Committee of the Institution of Gas Engineers in their annual report deals with silica bricks, blocks, tiles, etc. (see J . Gas. Ltg., 118, 828). The materials covered by the standard specifications are divided into two classes, namely: I. That containing 92 per cent. and upwards of silica, and termed “silica” material. 2. That containing 80 to 92 per cent. of silica, and called ‘I . siliceous.” The requirements of each class of refractory materials follow. Refractoriness.-Test pieces of the material shall show no sign of fusion when heated to the following temperatures: “Silica” “Sili~ material-not less than Seger cone 32 (about 1 7 1 0 C.). ceous” material-not less than Seger cone 29 (about 1 6 5 0 ~ C.). I t is required that the test shall be carried out in an oxidizing atmosphere, the temperature of the furnace being increased a t the rate of about j o o C. per j minutes. Surfaces and Texture.-The materials shall be evenly burnt throughout and possess a regular texture; there shall be no holes or flaws, and all surfaces shall be reasonably true and free from flaws or winding. Contraction and Expansion.-A test piece, when heated in a
.
