Industrial Poisons Used Or Produced in the Manufacture of Explosives.1
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U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS ROYAL MEEKER, Commissioner BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES\ (WHOLE 01 Q BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS/ ' ’ * ( NUMBER INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND HYGIENE SERIES: NO. 14 INDUSTRIAL POISONS USED OR PRODUCED IN THE MAN UFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES ALICE HAMILTON, M. A., M. D. MAY, 1917 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1917 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS. Page. Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 5-13 Physiological action of poisons......................................................................................... 14-57 Nitration......................................................................................................................... 14 Nitrogeh oxide poisoning—‘ ‘ Fume sickness ” ...................................................... 14^23 Nitric acid...................................................................................................................... 23,24 Sulphuric acid fumes (sulphur dioxide)................................................................ 24 Mixed acids.................................................................................................................... 24 Benzol and toluol, or methyl benzol...................................................................... 25-27 Phenol, or carbolic acid.............................................................................................. 27-29 Nitro and amido derivatives of the benzene series............................................. 29-48 Picric acid.............................................................................................................. 33-35 Trinitrotoluol, or toluol or triton or trotyl or TNT ................................... 35-45 Nitronaphthalenes................................................................................................ 45 Nitrobenzol............................................................................................................ 45,46 Nitrochlorbenzol and dinitrochlorbenzol...................................................... 46 A nilin...................................................................................................................... 46,47 Diphenylamin....................................................................................................... 47 Dim ethylanilin..................................................................................................... 47 Tetranitranilin...................................................................................................... 47,48 Tetranitromethylanilin or tetryl...................................................................... 48 Nitroglycerin................................................................................................................. 48-50 Mercury........................................................................................................................... 50 Fulminate of mercury................................................................................................. 50, 51 Ethyl nitrite.................................................................................................................. 52 Ammonia gas................................................................................................................. 52 Ammonium nitrate.................................................................................................. :. 52, 53 Amyl acetate................................................................................................................. 53 Acetone.............. ............................................................................................................ 53 Chlorine gas.................................................................................................................... 53, 54 Alcohol and ether.........................................................................................................54-57 Influence of alcohol on poisoning from volatile compounds..................................... 57-59 Manufacture of poisons....................................................................................................... 59-92 Nitric acid...................................................................................................................... 59,60 Sulphuric acid............................................................................................................... 61, 62 Acid recovery................................................................................................................ 62 Nitrocellulose................................................................................................................. 62-70 Centrifugal or mechanical nitration............................................................... 63-66 Pot nitration or direct dipping......................................................................... 66-69 Displacement process.......................................................................................... 69, 70 Smokeless powder and military gun cotton.......................................................... 70-72 Picric acid...................................................................................................................... 72-76 Phenol............................................................................................................................. 76-79 Nitroglycerin................................................................................................................. 79, 80 Trinitrotoluol................................................................................................................. 80-84 3 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 4 CONTENTS. Manufacture of poisons— Continued. Page. Filling shells with trinitrotoluol............................................................................... 84-88 N itronaphthalenes................................... .................................................................... 88 Nitrobenzol and anilin................................................................................................88,89 Tetryl............................................................................................................................... 89,90 Diphenylamin................................................................................................................ 90 Fulminate of mercury................................................................................................. 90-92 Ammonium nitrate...................................................................................................... 92 Prevention of industrial poisoning in the manufacture of explosives................... 92-98 Records from three model plants........................................................................... 97, 98 Treatment............................................................................................................................. 99-102 Appendix A.—Safety standards of industrial board, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry................................................................................................. 103-115 Appendix B.—Rules and regulations suggested for safety in the manufacture of benzene derivatives and explosives, Massachusetts State Board of Labor and Industries............................................................................................................... 116-120 Appendix C.—TNT manufacture in Great Britain—precautionary measures. 121-13q Appendix D.—Tentative safety standards of the State of Pennsylvania for the manufacture of nitro and amido compounds....................................................... 131-138 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis BULLETIN OF THE U. S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. WHOLE NO. 219. WASHINGTON. MAY, 1917. INDUSTRIAL POISONS USED OR PRODUCED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVES.1 BY ALICE HAMILTON, M. A., M. D. INTRODUCTION. The European war has made the munitions industry a very impor tant one in the United States. Up to the outbreak of the war the manufacture of explosives in this country was largely limited to what is known as peace explosives, for mining and construction operations and for agriculture, but the demand from Europe for war-time explosives met with a quick response. Works were erected to manu facture guncotton, picric acid, trinitrotoluol, and other high explo sives, and for filling shells with such charges. From time to time we are told that the rush of contracts is over, but there is still much of this work done for exportation. Nor is it to be regarded as a temporary industry, one that may be ignored as of little risk to the health of the workers, because it wTill come to an end with the present war. Even if the demand for munitions should cease with the declaration of peace there is every probability that these fac tories will still be utilized, if not for the manufacture of high explo sives, then for the making of closely allied products. Formerly we imported benzol and toluol from Germany; now, because they are indispensable for the production of explosives, we have learned to distill them,