Peter,

You might look at the orginal version of Alice Hamilton.M.D.'s (I think 1928)  called "Exploring the Dangerous Trades".  I'll bet you could find a re-issed version on Amazon.

She was actually the "mother" of Occupational Medicine in the US, the first Woman to be on the faculty of the Harvard School of Public Health, and came from Indiana (not too far from where I gew up and went to medical school).  A fascinating read about the time when workers and employers seemed to accept that work just wore out workers and this was acceptable (NOT!).

I believe there was some discussion of the munitions and dye industries in there. It's been some time since I read it in full.

Then her collaboration with Elizabeth Hardy (who began what we know know of berrylium toxicty) and thier early publications might yield some insights.

2 cents worth.

Alan

Alan H. Hall, M.D.

Medical Toxicologist

On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 11:50 AM, James Duncan <jimandjoanneduncan**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com> wrote:

Although not in the realm of dye chemistry, an excellent book on the state of industrial product versus the discounting of the employee is the The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore.  Total disregard of worker safety no matter what level, professional, hourly, etc. 

If you look at photos from Eastman Kodak labs in the 1930's it appears that safety was not high on the list of must-do.

Good luck.

Jim Duncan, Phd

Senior Consulting Scientist

RJ Lee Group, Inc.

On Sat, Jun 10, 2017 at 6:36 AM, Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**lists.princeton.edu> wrote:

And in 1936, the primary cancer may not have arisen in the liver.  Research also the status of cancer research in 1936 to examine the assumption that the cancer was actually liver cancer.

Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist

President:  Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.

Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE

181 Thompson St., #23

New York, NY 10012     212-777-0062

actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com   www.artscraftstheatersafety.org

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Zack Mansdorf <mansdorfz**At_Symbol_Here**BELLSOUTH.NET>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
Sent: Fri, Jun 9, 2017 7:04 pm

Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Common industrial lab safety practices 1906-1930?

Azo dyes and other chemicals used for various purposes in the textile industries have long been linked to excesses in cancer (although liver cancer is not predominate).  There is a study from IARC (http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol48/48-13.html) from 1990 that provides a bit of information.  My suspicion is that it was more than just lab safety that may have had an effect on your relative.  I would guess (but do not know) that the factory workers were at greater risk than the lab workers.

 

I am sure some others can share their understanding.

 

Zack

S.Z. Mansdorf, PhD, CIH, CSP, QEP

Consultant in EHS and Sustainability

7184 Via Palomar

Boca Raton, FL  33433

561-212-7288

 

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] On Behalf Of Reinhardt, Peter
Sent: Friday, June 9, 2017 3:15 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Common industrial lab safety practices 1906-1930?

 

Colleagues,

 

With the wisdom of this listserve, I bet a few of you may provide some information on this topic.

 

A family member is writing a history of a relative who was a Harvard-educated dye chemist at a New England textile firm from 1906 until about 1930. At that time his health began to deteriorate and he "retired" from chemistry. He died in 1936 of liver cancer at 51 years of age.

 

Both she and I know it is highly speculative to associate his work and poor health, but she wonders what laboratory safety precautions might have been in common industrial use during that time. Do you know?

 

When I worked at the University of Wisconsin, a retired chemistry professor there told me that his first "gas mask" was purchased from army surplus prior to WW II. In my career, I've helped remodel labs with functional fume hoods dating from the 1920s. Were masks, gloves, hoods, etc. in common use in industrial labs between 1906 and 1930?

 

Perhaps there is a book that traces this safety history. If so, I'd appreciate hearing about it

 

Thank you!

 

Pete

 

Peter A. Reinhardt

Director, Office of Environmental Health & Safety

Yale University

135 College St., Suite 100

New Haven, CT   06510-2411

(203) 737-2123

peter.reinhardt**At_Symbol_Here**yale.edu

 

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