GAS POISONING, poisoning vapors of various substances when taken into the body through the air passages. Theoretically, a large number of substances used in the arts may cause gas poisoning; practically, there are only a few that seriously endanger health or life.
In general, gaseous substances must reach a certain percentage in a mixture with respir able air before they become poisonous. This percentage varies with each gas. Forms of gas poisoning most commonly met are those in cidental to certain of the industrial trades, arising from the inhalation of poisonous gases, or of the fumes of volatile liquids. It is not to be supposed that such poison gases and vapors are allowed to work harm to employees unopposed. On the contrary every effort is made to prevent danger from this cause, and the cases of industrial poisoning by inhalation are very few.
Following is a list of the vaporous poisons against which precautions have be taken, and a note of the industrial occupations in which they are met with: Acetaldehyde fumes — in the vinegar in dustry.
Acrolein vapors — in fat-reducing establish ments, oilcloth works, soap and candle factories.
Ammonia — around coke ovens; in the man ufacture of ammonia salts; in the making of dyes, varnishes and lacquers; about ice making and refrigerating plants.
Amyl acetate fumes— from Zapone lacquer in several industries; in jewelry manufacture; and in the oilcloth process: Amyl alcohol fumes — in the manufacture of fruit essences, valeric acid, and in the making of aniline' dyes.
Carbon dioxide — in mines; in lime and brick kilns, tanneries and sugar mills; and in breweries and mineral water bottling estab lishments.
Carbon disulphide fumes—in the manu facture of calcium sulphide; in imitation silk making; and in many industries where it is used as a solvent, as for rubber, resins, fats, oils, etc.
Carbon monoxide— leakage from defective flues in all industries; around coke ovens; in the exhaust and leakage from gas engines; in metal foundries, from drying molds; in char coal burning; and about lime and brick kilns.
Chlorine — in laundries, bleacheries, paper mills and in the manufacture of organic chlorine products.
Cyanogen (prussic acid) —in the extracting of gold from ores; in silver and gold plating; in dye works; in the manufacture of celluloid; in certain photographic processes.
Diazomethane — in methylizing processes of all kinds.
Dimethyl sulphate— in the production of methyl ethers, methyl esters and methyl amines; in the manufacture of artificial perfumes.
Formaldehyde — in disinfecting processes, and in the manufacture of coal-tar colors.
Hydrofluoric acid — in glass factories, glass etching works, potteries, dye works and fer tilizer factories.
Methyl alcohol (wood alcohol) fumes— in the manufacture of varnishes, lacquers and pol ishes; in the making of perfumes; in furniture polishing; in the production of coal-tar colors; in calico printing.
Methylic bromide fumes — in aniline dye works.
Nitro-benzol fumes— in the making of per fumes, fine soaps and pharmaceutical prepara tions; in making coal-tar colors; in the manu facture of explosives.
Nitroglycerine fumes — in making explosives.
Nitrous gases — in numberless industries in which nitric acid comes in contact with deox idizing substances ,• in chemical works; in the manufacture of celluloid, aniline colors, bleach ing materials and dynamite; in dyeing and calico printing.
Phosphuretted hydrogen — in the extraction of phosphorus; in the reduction of iron sili cate; in the production of acetylene.
Sulphur chloride fumes — in the rubber in dustry, and wherever it is used as a solvent for rubber,• resins and fats; in making solu tions of sulphur.
Sulphur dioxide — in the reduction of sul phurous ores; in potteries and the ceramic in dustry ; in refining petroleum ; and extensively in the bleaching of wax, silk and wool, dried • fruits, hops, straw hats and bristles; in the fuming of wine casks, etc.