LEAD-POISONING

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 69, 15 December 1931, Page 7

LEAD-POISONING

Danger of Dry-rubbing STRICT REGULATIONS In:a recent issue of “The Dominion,’’ a writer sought to point out the dangers attendant from lead-poisoning where dryrubbing (with sand-paper) was practised in order to prepare a better surface. An ollicial of the Labour Department points out that the regulations under the Health Act (1925) prohibits such a practice. The clause pertaining to this danger reads as follows:— No person shall use or cause to be used the process of dry rubbing down for removing paint in any situation in which such process may cause any person employed thereon to be exposed to dust created by such process.

It was stated that the regulations in regard to the use of lead paints, in manufacture or use, were largely based upon those now in force in England. In the old flays before there were any such laws, eases of lead-poisoning were very numerous, It used to be a practice in paint factories for a doctor to examine the men’s mouths weekly, and whenever a man showed the blue line on the gums, he was instantly dismissed. This was a sure sign that the man had lead-poisoning through consuming the powder arising from the lead in the process of paintmaking. All that was changed years ago by an insistence on proper regulations.

The enforcement of these regulations had had the effect of reducing cases of to a minimum, though such did occur in cases where the precautions stipulated in the regulations were not observed, chiefly in men engaged m burning off old paint from ships. Dryrubbjng, being prohibited by law, had been supersedwl by wet rubbing with dampened sand-paper. A specially-pre-pared sand-paper, for the purpose was procurable.