Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

INDUSTRIAL POISONSSource: Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 10, No. 6 (JUNE, 1920), pp. 166-170Published by: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of LaborStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41825574 .

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INDUSTRIAL POISONS.

Tellurium as an Industrial Health Hazard.

A STUDY Deeds, of

of tellurium the United

was States

recently Public

made Health

by Dr. Service;

Shie and the

Dr. re- Deeds, of the United States Public Health Service; the re-

sults were published in Public Health Reports (Apr. 16, 1920, pp. 939-954), in a preliminary report, the purpose of which is "to invite the attention of industrial hygienists and physicians to the importance of tellurium as an industrial health hazard."

The possibility that this substance might act as an industrial poison first came to the attention of the authors in 1918 while they were making a study of lead poisoning in an electrolytic lead refinery. It was noted that practically all the men employed in one depart- ment - 13 in number - smelled strongly of garlic and, upon being questioned, complained of drv skin ana a loss of the sweat function. These men wore working in the silver refinery around blast furnaces and were subjected to high temperatures. The slime from the electro- lytic tanks was treated to remove the Doré metal, and tellurium was encountered as an impurity. The temperature attained in the blast furnaces was about l,200o-l,400° F., and tellurium fumes were given off probably in the form of hydrogen telluride, a compound analogous to sulphuretted hydrogen and arseniuretted hydrogen. Tellurium was also present in the dust about the furnaces, probably in the form of the oxide and telluride. No other men in the plant com- plained of similar symptoms, and no others came into contact with tellurium.

The 13 men were examined with the following result: Seven showed evidences of tellurium absorption as indicated by garlic odor to the breath, sweat, and urine, to dryness of the mouth, and metallic taste. Five of these had a considerable inhibition of the sweat function, and the two who did not, had worked only two weeks; three of the five had a dry, itching skin, anorexia, nausea, some vomiting, and some degree of depression or somnolence. Six of the men examined had a rash distributed quite generally over the body, and "it is probable that the dry skin, inciaent to the complete or partial suppression of the sweat function, had something to do with its inception." The length of time the men examined had been em- ployed was, in the majority of cases, very short, so that in a number of cases there had hardly been time enough for the mild chronic effects of tellurium to have developed, and the one who had worked in the department for the longest period - two and a half years - had been exposed to the hazarcf only at rare intervals.

Chemistry and Properties of Tellurium.

TTHE paper considers the chemistry of t ellurium, which in the past was "*■ scarce, the only method of obtaining it being a very lengthy one of extraction applied to large masses of ores. It is now obtained from the dross produced in electrorefining. In this process the slime which settles to the bottom of the electrolytic tanks is treated to

166 11472]

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INDUSTBIAL POISONS. 16?

recover the more precious metals, and the residuum is then treated to obtain the tellurium. It may also be prepared from its minerals or from the residue in several metallurgical processes.

Tellurium is a bluish-white silverlike element possessing metallic luster. It is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. It melts at 452 ° C. When slowly cooled from the molten state it forms hexagonal rhombohedral ciystals, isomorphous with sulphur and selenium. In physical properties it resembles the metals, but in chemical properties it is decidealy nonmetallic. It forms one of the oxygen family of elements and is closely related to sulphur and selenium of the same family.

Summary.

A FTER a consideration of the poisonous properties of tellurium, based upon the 13 cases examined and upon experimental

work, the paper concludes with this summary to which a "fairly complete" oibliography of the subject is added: Until within recent years tellurium was considered only £s more or lees of a chemical

curiosity. With the development of the electrolytic-refining industry, however, its production has increased, and it can no longer be considered a rare element. As yet no very important industrial use has been found for it; but numerous research organi- zations. among them the National Research Council, are attempting to discover ways in which it can be used on a large scale in industry. At present at least one large corporation has erected a plant for the sole purpose of isolating and refining tellurium. With the further development of euch activities it is to be expected that the produc- tion of tellurium will greatly increase and that concomitantly there will be an increase in the health hazard incident to the increased exposure of the workers. We might then expect to encounter the severe effects of tellurium poisoning, such as are now manifested by laboratory animals under the influence of fairly large doses of tellurium.

The telimi um poisoning encountered thus far in industry has not been severe. The primary effects are suppression of the sweat, of the saliva, and of the acid in the gastric juice. This leads to a dry, itching skin, dry mouth, metallic taste, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and constipation. Somnolence' is often a prominent symptom. The earliest symptom of tellurium absorption is the garlic odor to the secretions and excretions due to methyl telluride. Secondary effect to be expecced are impaired nutrition with emaciation and, where the workers are exposed to high temperatures, increased susceptibility to heat exhaustion.

The diagnosis of tellurium poisoning may be made from the garlic odor of the excre- tions, the suppression of the sweat, the dryness of the mouth, and the demonstration of tellurium in the urine or feces.

The preventive measures we similar to those used for other metallic poisons and may be summed up as good working conditions and proper personal hygiene. in treatment, of course, the most important measure is the removal of cause. After that pilocarpin may be used to counteract the effect of the tellurium, and the avenues of elimination should be opened and excretion favored by promoting secretions, diuresis, and free bowel movements. Hydrochloric acid may be administered to remedy the deficiency of acid secretion. The remainder of the treatment is sympto- matic.

The prognosis so far has been good, the condition gradually improving upon prompt removal of the cause. This is due to the fact that no serious cases have thus far been encountered . It is thought that the prognosis will be lees favorable when more severe poisoning occurs as a result of greater absorption of tellurium incident to its increased production.

The 13 workers reported are still under observation and physical examinations will be made from time to time to observe* their condition. New workers in the depart- ment will also be closely watched. Along with this, laboratory work is being done ta determine more accurately the toxicity of tellurium and its effects upon the blood, blood pressure, kidneys, etc.

It is hoped that samples of the air which the men breathe may be collected while they work, so that determinations of the amount of tellurium taken into the lungs may be determined. Similar determination of the amounts ingested would also be of value, and it is expected that they will be made.

[14731

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168 MONTHLY LABOE REVIEW.

Hexamethylene-tetramine as a Poison in the Rubber Industry.

THE in rash the rubber

produced industry

by

in

hexamethylene-tetramine and the Journal

a means of of

Industrial prevention

upon are discussed

workers in the rubber industry and a means of prevention are discussed in a paper published in the Journal of Industrial Hygiene1 as a

reprint from the India Rubber World, of November 1, 1919. The paper gives the results of a study made by the research labora-

tory of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio, of organic accelerators of vulcanization. Special attention was given to the subject of toxicity with the purpose of finding an accelerator which combines excellent acceleration with a minimum of toxic action, and the authors state that "Knowing that many rubber companies are using hexamethylene-tetramine or 'urotropin/ it was thought that a study of the toxicology of this substance would be of interest not only to ourselves, but also to those who are already using this accelerator." The investigation was extended to cover the probable cause of its action and to find, if possible, an antidote or simple means of prevention.

The paper refers to a report of an investigation into the toxic properties of the more commonly used accelerators presented in September, 1918, by the committee on organic accelerators of the rubber section of the American Chemical Society, in which the action of hexamethylene-tetramine was summarized as follows: Symptoms of ; poisoning . - Rash and inflammation of skin which has been in repeated

contact with stock containing this material. In severe cases, blisters filled with watery- fluid result.

Antidote . - Cleanliness and care in regard to clothing are the best preventives. Change of occupation will cause the rash to disappear, leaving no permanent effects.

In order to study the nature of the irritation ascribed to this accelerator, the tetramine was applied in powdered form and in water solution to different parts of the Dody of men selected for these tests. The results of the experiment were negative and the accelerator was then introduced into a factory compound in order to study its effect upon actual working conditions, the workmen handling the experi- mental stock being carefully observed. This test was begun in cool weather and for some time no deleterious effect was observed. With the approach of warmer weather, however, the action of the hexamethylene-tetramine began to manifest itself, usually appearing first as a rash on the wrist or forearm and in many cases remaining confined to these parts, but in others spreading to the face and neck, especially around the eyes, and occasionally appearing on the shoul- ders, legs, and even across the stomach. The authors concluded that perspiration undoubtedly plays an important part in the production of the rash, as it became almost epidemic with the rise in temperature.

Sodium Bicarbonate in Prevention and Treatment.

rpHE account of the use of sodium bicarbonate in the treat- ment of this rash upon men selected for tests is given in detail,

and the authors state: i Toisons in the rubber industry. By Norman A. Shepard and Stanley Krall. In Journal of Industrial

Hygiene, Boston, May, 1920, pp. 33-38. [1474]

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INDUSTRIAL POISONS. 169

On the strength of these results bicarbonate solution was provided, so that all the men handling the raw stock containing the hexamethylene-tetramine could obtain it if troubled with this rash. Though it was not possible to obtain as accurate data on all those applying the solution, the reports obtained from both the foremen and the men using the solution were very encouraging. * * *

While it is true that the necessity for the application of any preventive or prophylac- tic solution, such as bicarbonate of soda or borax, is a serious drawback to the use of a substance as an accelerator, it does not prohibit its use. It offers a better solution of the difficulty certainly than that offered by the committee on accelerators. . " Change of occupation," with the entailed loss of wages and curtailed production, can scarcely be considered a satisfactory antidote, either from the standpoint of the employee or employer.

It was found that the use of the bicarbonate solution is attended by no disagreeable results, except a considerable smarting when first applied to a severe case, ana that it can be applied to tne face and necK and even around the eyes with perfect safety. While it has an apparent curative effect, it is stated to be unquestionably chiefly preventive, the result being that while further development of the rash is prevented the old rash is allowed to heal without further infection. The authors believe that, while their observations are based upon a comparatively small number of cases, "the results seem to justify the conclusion that bicarbonate can be used success- fully in controlling the hexamethylene-tetramine rash."

Industrial Blood Poisons in Anilin Manufacture.

INDUSTRIAL Newton, in the blood

Journal poisons''

of the is the

American title of

Medical an article

Association, by C. E.

INDUSTRIAL Newton, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Chicago, April 24, 1920 (pp. 1149, 1150), which is based on a

first-hand study oí 8 cases of benzene and anilin intoxication selected from a number of cases occurring in anilin manufacture during the early days of the war before the manufacturing methods were improved; this was followed by a study of 10 causes subject to more or less exposure to benzene, made for the purpose of determin- ing the cumulative properties of this poison. The following is the history of a typical case:

Mr. A., chemist, aged 30, in charge of operations, who had been working intensively in benzene for about two weeks, complained, June 12, 1916, of headache, anorexia, lassitude, and loss of weight. Suddenly pain in the abdomen developed, ac- companied by nausea and vomiting. Physical examination detected nothing abnormal. Temperature and pulse were normal. An examination of the blood, however, revealed a marked leucopenia. The blood was normal in color, but seemed to be lacking in viscidity. There were 5,760,000 red blood cells per cubic millimeter; 1,200 white olood cells; hemoglobin, 85 per cent (Sahli). The differential count re- vealed : Large mononuclears, 39 per cent; small mononuclears, 0; polymorphonuclears, 54 per cent; eosinophils, 0; transitionals, 0.6; other cells, 0; total, 93.6 per cent.

The intoxication in this case was largely from inhalation. Aside from the blood findings, the physical picture is that of a nervous dyspepsia, which was probably true in this case, as tne man was of a nervous temperament and anxious over the responsi- bility of his position. After a month's leave of absence with complete rest, the leucocyte count became normal and the patient made a complete recovery. It was not our observation that a leucopenia alone, of the severity herein described, would cause symptoms.

The author states it as his opinion - Not that benzene and its amino-deri vati ves possess any very definite cumulative

action, but that the anemias of which they are the cause follow a definite intoxication [1475]

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170 MONTHLY LABOR REVIEW.

or a series of definite intoxications. It remains to be determined, however, whether or not the constant inhalation of even minute quantities of benzeae vapor from spread- ing machines, cement cans, and other sources would tend to interfere with proper oxygenation of the blood and tissues, even when there is no cell destruction, and thus undermine the worker's resistance to disease.

The following conclusions arc reached: 1. Workers chronically exposed to benzene may show leucopenia without any other

symptoms, and make complete recovery, 2. Acute exposure to anilin and nitrobenzene vapors produced cyanosis v ith

destruction of the red blood corpuscles, but with little change in the white corpuscles with recovery. In one case in which free benzene was presumably present, there v/as destruction of white cells without appreciable destruction of red cells, and amore rapid recovery, that is, in three days.

3. The maximum white cell destruction by benzene, and the maximum red cell destruction by anilin-nitrobenzene, may not be reached for several houra after the onset of the symptoms. 4. Workers exposed for long periods to benzene may not have a leucopenia; appar- ently, therefore, the action is not cumulative.

[14-763

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