TESTS OF ENAMELWARE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18254, 24 November 1933, Page 10

TESTS OF ENAMELWARE

POSSIBILITY OF DANGER | INVESTIGATIONS AT HOSPITAL Further tests of different brands of enamel dishes to ascertain if there is dauger of antimony poisoning arising from the mixing of fresh lemon drinks in these vessels have been made by the director of the pathological department of tho Auckland Hospital, Dr. W. Gilmour. The first tests were made a few months ago at tho suggestion. of the DirectorGeneral of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt, who enclosed a memorandum from the British Ministry of Health drawing the attention, of hospitals generally to a case at Newcaatle-on-Tyne in which 70 employees in a factory had been poisoned after drinking lemonade which had been standing in enamel vessels. In his report on these tests. Dr. Gilmour stated that after experimenting with every brand of enamel vessel used in the hospital, he discovered that lemon drink, consisting of the juice of one lemon in a pint of water, dissolved the antimony from the enamel in one brand. Following this report, the Hospital ’ Board expressed concern and asked Dr. Gilmour to carry out further tests on 1 best English enamel. Tests on two articles of English , enamel ware were dealt with by Dr. Gilmour in a report to tho board this week. Dr. Gilmour stated that a per cent, solution of tavtaric acid u . ’

/ —■ placed in each vessel and allowed to remain there for several days and then 1 sent to the Government analyst to bo tested. The Government analyst had reported that no antimony was present in their sample. Tho report was received.