Archives of the Public Health Laboratory of the University of Manchester / Edited by A. Sheridan Delépine. Vol. 1.

  • University of Manchester.
Date:
1906
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Archives of the Public Health Laboratory of the University of Manchester / Edited by A. Sheridan Delépine. Vol. 1. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    paste containing white phosphorus, and as this substance is volatile at ordinary temperatures it is to this fact, and the readiness with which the phosphorus enters into combination with oxygen, that the ill-health of workers in match factories has been attributed. The lower oxides of phosphorus are apparently more noxious than the higher, but upon what the specific action of the former depends it is difficult to say. Phosphorous oxide undergoes oxidation and in contact with moisture becomes phosphorous acid which is both a strong reducing agent and an active solvent. The peculiar odour of phosphorus is caused by a mixture of ozone and phosphorous oxide. Phosphorus fumes are known to be harmful to animal tissues, including bone. Prof. Thorpe found, on exposing decayed teeth to the fumes of phosphorus for 12 hours that they lost 037 per cent, of their weight, also when carious teeth were crushed and exposed to a dilute solution of phosphoric acid (1 per cent.) that they lost 8'9 per cent, of their original weight. In the air of a dipping room of a match factory Thorpe* found 002 milligramme of phosphorus per 100 litres of air, while the same quantity of air of the boxing room contained 0'12 milligramme of phosphorus. After working on an average four hours each, 22 employees in a match factory were caused to wash their hands in a particular basin of water. On analysing the water Thorpe found 37'3 milligrammes of phosphorus. The same observer showed that the composition of smoke produced in the burning of phosphorus matches depends to some extent on the conditions of combustion. In the case of a single match, for example, freely exposed to the air the smoke consists, or rather the phosphoric element consists, of phosphoric oxide P4010, but in the smothered combustion of a lot of matches, such as frequently occurs in the boxing of matches, a considerable proportion of phosphorous oxide P40u is formed. In the Match Factories of Great Britain and Ireland, during 1898, 4,270 persons were employed. Of these 1,166 were males and 3,104 were females. About 1,700 were working in phosphorus processes. The workers under 18 years of age were 466 males and 1,077 females. The match works were distributed as follows:— England and Wales 17 Scotland 2 Ireland 5 Total 24 The number of match works in January, 1901, were : — No. in which yellow phosphorus used 15 ,, ,, „ „ discontinued 3 „ not yet working 1 „ closed temporarily 5 Total 24 * Reports to the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the Use of Phosphorus in the Manufacture of Lucifer Matches, by Professors T. E. Thorpe, T. Oliver and Dr. Geo. Cunningham. Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1899.