In the Government dockyards, among other precautions, men employed on red-leading appear before the medical officer periodically, and no man is allowed to do the work for more than two days a week. Further, oxide of iron paint is to be used in the double bottoms, wing passages, and other confined spaces on board ships. All men employed as painters are allowed five minutes out of their working time for washing.
Other Industries.
—The industries and processes which are gathered together under this head will be seen from the following distribution:
| Industries. | Cases (Ten Years: 1900-1909). |
|---|---|
| (1) Iron drums and kegs | 47 |
| (2) Harness furniture | 23 |
| (3) Tempering springs | 13 |
| (4) Other contact with molten lead | 103 |
| (5) Metal sorting | 13 |
| (6) Handling lead and dust from metallic lead | 122 |
| (7) Shot-making | 14 |
| (8) Glass-making | 13 |
| (9) India-rubber | 23 |
| (10) Yarn-dyeing | 28 |
| (11) Copper letters and opal signs | 28 |
| (12) Other lead compounds | 196 |
| (13) Miscellaneous | 36 |
| Total | 659 |
(1) and (2) have been described under tinning of metals, as the processes are similar, and in the year 1909 they were included along with tinning of hollow-ware under the same code of regulations.
Tempering of steel buffer springs (3)[37], carried on in Sheffield, gives rise to poisoning from fumes of molten metal into which the springs are immersed, and from dust of skimmings, unless there is efficient hooding and exhaust. A sample of dust collected from a lampshade over a melting-pot was found in the Government laboratory to contain 48·1 of metallic lead, or 51·8 per cent. of lead monoxide. In testing the springs under a hydraulic press, and subsequent straightening by hammering on an anvil, the thin coating of lead on the surface scales off, and may be inhaled.
Other contact with molten metal (4) includes operations which do not differ from several already described, in which danger is incurred from either fumes and dust in skimming the dross or subsequent handling, such as manufacture of solder, coating cables, filling copper cylinders with molten lead for the purpose of bending them, and subsequently re-immersing them in the bath to melt out the lead, tinning of nails, making lead patterns for fenders (in which there may be danger, also, from use of a wire brush to get rid of adhering sand), etc.
Handling lead and dust from metallic lead (5) includes operations such as die-stamping, stamping tickets and other articles on a leaden slab (where the danger is akin to, though probably less in degree than in file-cutting), examining bullets, manufacture of metallic capsules, lining boxes with sheet lead, lead glazing (where the danger is essentially that of plumbing work), etc.
It includes also a number of cases which were reported previous to 1905 in the markers of testing ranges at a small-arms factory. Duckering[38], who investigated these cases, found that the bullets were stopped by dry sand in boxes 8 feet long. On entering the sand the bullets became disintegrated, so that, after being in use for some time, the sand contained a large amount of lead, and had to be removed. In doing this the box was turned over, and the sand deposited on the floor immediately behind the targets. The lead was then separated by sifting by hand, and the sand used over again. In these operations much floating dust was produced, which was inhaled by the markers, who stood in an open trench immediately in front of and below the targets.