miners' consumption in southwestern missouri

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor

MINERS' CONSUMPTION IN SOUTHWESTERN MISSOURISource: Monthly Review of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Vol. 5, No. 2 (AUGUST, 1917),pp. 74-76Published by: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of LaborStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41829375 .

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74 MONTHLY BE VIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS.

the country. In several factories concerned in the manipulation of high explosives the degree of absenteeism is very high, and the great- est factor in the production of this is this so-called 'minor' TNT illness. Therefore, from the national standpoint, minor illnesses due to TNT poisoning ought not to be left out of account." Cases of poisoning are not notifiable unless associated with the symptom of jaundice, but it is believed by Dr. Legge that " for every case of toxic jaundice there are at least 30 persons affected in minor degree, necessitating absence from work."

MINERS' CONSUMPTION IN SOUTHWESTERN MISSOURI.

The United States Public Health Service has made an investigation of miners' consumption, based on a study of 433 cases of the disease among zinc miners in southwestern Missouri. In "the report 1

just issued it is stated that miners' consumption has been recognized for a number of years as the most important health hazard of the metal-mining industry, and as one probably widespread throughout all mining districts, but until this investigation it had never been the subject of State or Federal inquiry in this country. In this connec- tion attention is directed to investigations in foreign countries, and particular reference is made to the report of the miners' phthisis committee of the Union of South Africa, which was noted in the Monthly Eeview for January, 1917 (pp. 102 to 105). It is ex- plained in the report under review that the zinc ore is found embedded in flint, which lies in horizontal layers or sheets, the mining operations such as drilling, blasting, etc., therefore being car- ried on in flint, " an exceedingly hard rock with a silica content of over 95 per cent. This flint forms a very fine, hard, sharp, and insoluble dust, which permeates the underground atmosphere to a varying extent, and which, naturally, is extremely irritating to the i ungs when inhaled, causing the condition known as miners' consumption." It appears that the chief symptom is dyspnea (on exertion) , which becomes aggravated, causing gradually a falling off in the amount of work done ; loss of weight is also a constant symptom. This dyspnea is associated with pains in the chest and dimin- ished expansion. " While slaty blue sputum, when present, is diag- nostic, yet the physical examination of the patient is in itself insuffi- cient without a knowledge and consideration of the occupation." It is pointed out in passing that miners' consumption may be tuber- 1 United States. Public Health Servie*. Miners' Consumption, a study of 433 cases

of the disease among zinc miners in southwestern Missouri, by A. J. Lanza, with a chap- ter on Roentçen-ray findings in miners' consumption, by Dr. Samuel B. Childs. Public Health Bulletin No. 85. Washington, 1917. 40 pp.

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MONTHLY BE VIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOB STATISTICS. 75

culous or nontuberculous, according as tubercle bacilli may or may not be found in the sputum.

In this investigation 720 miners were examined, 433 being affected with miners' consumption, 103 of these also have tubercle bacilli in their sputum. For convenience these 433 are divided into three stages: (1) those characterized by little or no disability, with slight or moderate dyspnea on exertion; (2) those showing noticeable disability with moderate or moderately severe dyspnea; and (3) those showing total, or at least marked, disability with severe or urgent dyspnea. In summarizing the results of the examination of 120 men in the first group, 142 in the second group, and 68 in the third group, all without tuberculous infection, attention is called to the fact that the average number of years worked in sheet ground (hard rock) was more than 5 in each group, and that five years' steady work with exposure to flint dust is very certain to find the miner in at least the first stage of silicosis. It was found that 243 or 56.1 per cent of the 433 men having miners' consumption, and 54 or 52.4 per cent of the 103 men suffering with tuberculous infection, had commenced to work underground before they were 21 years of age.

While hard work at an early age necessarily often undermines the vitality, the percentage under 21 years among the well men would indicate that immaturity has little to do with the incidence of miners' consumption, though contributing to the* rapidity with which these cases break down.

Data as to 198 cases of deaths in 130 families out of 480 families visited were obtained, indicating the average age at death as 37 years, the average number of years mining as 13.7, the average number of years in sheet ground (hard rock) as 8.6, and the average number of years of disability before death as 1 year. Adding the last two figures together it is concluded that in the Joplin district the average case of miners' consumption dies within 10 years after beginning exposure to silicious dust. #

An examination of 1,120 children of miners and 1,386 children of nonminers to determine the relation of miners' consumption to living conditions and tuberculous infection did not seem to indicate very much tuberculous infection among those in the first group, " yet we can logically expect, unless precautions are taken, that tuberculous infection will become more and more menacing to public health in the Joplin district. This implies increased danger to adults and to children, with tuberculous infection in miners' consumption occur- ring more frequently in the first and second stages and earlier in the third stage, and, consequently, directly affecting the safety of the children."

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76 MONTHLY REVIEW OF THE BUREAU OF LABOE STATISTICS.

This study of 433 cases of miners' consumption in southwestern Missouri led to the following conclusions :

Miners' consumption is an important occupational disease, widely prevalent among the hard-rock miners of the Joplin district, affecting probably 30 to 35 per cent of them.

Miners' consumption is essentially a pneumonoconiosis, due to the inhalation of silicious rock dust, and resulting in a fibrosis, with loss of function.

The disability and other effects of miners' consumption are due primarily to silicosis, infection being usually a secondary, and often, a terminal process.

Infection, both tuberculous and pyogenic, is common in miners' consumption, the tendency to infection increasing as the disease progresses.

The incidence of tubercle infection in miners* consumption is a menace to the public health, affording an unusual opportunity for the spread of tuberculosis.

Aside from the hygienic supervision of working conditions underground, edu- cation of the miner against the spread of infection and supervision of miners' children, especially those of consumptive parents, are matters of vital im- portance.

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING IN THE STEEL INDUSTRY.

The improvement of conditions affecting the health of persons employed in the metallurgical industries is receiving the cooperative attention of the United States Bureau of Mines and the Public Health Service, and several technical papers have been issued by the former bureau as contributions to the literature dealing with this subject. One of these, entitled Health conservation at steel mills, was noted in the Monthly Review for November, 1916 (pp. 641 to 643) / and two other papers, touching particularly the steel industry, have recently been issued by the Bureau of Mines under the titles Carbon monoxide poisoning in the steel industry,2 and Occur- rence and mitigation of injurious dusts in steel works.8

The object of the paper on carbon monoxide poisoning, as stated in the introduction, is to set forth briefly the liability to this poisoning of those employed in the various departments of the steel plant, the sources of the gas, the extent to which it is present, and its effect on workers, and to make certain recommendations for preventing and remedying such conditions. Attention is givep primarily to chronic poisoning - that is, the daily exposure of employees to small quan- tities of this gas over an extended period of time - rather than to that of acute poisoning, or

" gassing," as prevention of this accident is a problem of safety engineering rather than of industrial hygiene. 1 Another paper entitled Safe practice at blast furnaces, a manual for foremen and men,

was noted in the Monthly Review for November, 1916, pp. 638 to 640. •United States. Department of the Interior. Bureau of Mines. Technical paper 156.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in the Steel Industry, by J. A. Watkins. Washington, 1Ö17. 19 pp. * See p. 85 for a review of this pamphlet.

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miners' consumption in southwestern missouri

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