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{
    "localId": "75719137",
    "label": "Report, 1924",
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    "id": "75719137",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Report, 1924",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75719137",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "6\nEXPOSURE TO RADIUM PREPARATIONS.\nEXPOSURE TO RADIUM PREPARATIONS.\n7\nThe extent of the effect of the exposure to radiation depends\nthe height of the chest so as to protect the workers as much as pos-\n7.\nsible. This use of the cast-iron screens was instituted a short\n(a) Amount of radium to which the subject is exposed.\ntime prior to the beginning of this study and was continued dur-\n(b) Length of time of the exposures.\ning the time of the study. The hands and arms of the workers\n(c) Frequency of the exposures.\nare extended around the screens. The applicators containing the\n(d) Proximity of the radium to which the subject is exposed.\nradium are remoyed from the containers in which they arrive and\n(e) Amount and character of protection afforded against radiation.\nexamined closely. To avoid any contamination of the surface of\n(f) Character of the rays to which the subject is exposed.\nthe applicator which may have been acquired during the process of\nThe following is quoted from J. C. Mottram (11) regarding the\nmanufacture, the preparations are washed thoroughly with soap\nbiological action of radium:\nand water by means of a small brush and dried with cotton held in\nSurveying the biological action of radiation, one of the first\nforceps. They are then put in larger glass containers, marked for\ngeneralizations which may be made is that the various tissues differ\nidentification purposes, and placed in wooden boxes about 6 inches\nwidely in their susceptibility; some- instance, nerve\nlong, 3 inches wide, and 3 inches high, with a lead lining about one-\nno changes after relatively large exposures, whereas others-\nhalf inch thick. During this process the preparations are handled\ninstance, reproduction cells-are altered by small amounts of radi-\nentirely with forceps. (See Pl. I.) The boxes containing the radium\nation. The following tissues are especially sensitive: skin, blood\nare carried in a fiber bucket to the safe where all this material is kept.\nvessels, connective tissues, hair follicles, reproduction cells, lymphoid\ntissues, and blood cells. Experimental evidence goes to show that\nRadium that is being sent out from the Bureau of Standards is\nthe last three are more susceptible than the others, so much so that\nhandled in a similar way. The unpacking and packing of radium\nthese tissues would be especially chosen for examination in searching\nrequire the services of two or three persons for about one hour daily.\nfor the earliest effects of radiation. There is no doubt about the\nThe chief exposures and sources of exposures to radiation during\nsensitiveness of the reproduction cells. The sterility of X-ray\nunpacking and packing appear to be-\nworkers who have good health in other respects is very clear evidence.\nAs regards the blood changes, it may be mentioned that experiments\n1. Exposure of hands, arms, neck, and head. In unpacking and\non rats have shown that, by their blood changes, X-radiation could\npacking, the use of rubber or lead-rubber gloves has not proved\nbe detected where a photographic plate gives no record. For this\nsatisfactory. The sense of touch alone can not be relied upon; hence\nreason, and also because the blood changes have been the subject\nit is necessary to see the package and radium containers, and conse-\nof large nvestigation, it may be concluded that they will serve as\nan excellent indicator for the biological effects of radiation. The\nquently there is also an exposure of the head and neck.\npresent state of our knowledge would lead to the conclusion that in\n2. Sometimes radium tubes are received in a broken or leaky\nthe absence of blood changes the worker had received no more than\ncondition. In such cases, when the package is opened, exposure\na harmless amount of exposure to radiation.\ninvolving the breathing of radium emanation is very considerable.\nMost of the articles appearing in the literature deal with the harm-\nIn case of broken or leaky tubes the radioactive gas is spread through\nful effects of continued exposure to radiation upon persons handling\nthe room. Unless there is proper ventilation of the room by means\nradium for therapeutic purposes. As this study was made upon\nof electric fans after such occurrences, persons working in the room\npersons who are engaged in measuring the gamma radiations of the\nare exposed to radiation for a considerable time, and from within\nradium salts examined, it is believed desirable to describe briefly the\nthe lungs as well as from without.\nmethods employed in their work.\nWhen ready to undertake the measurements on a given tube of\nThe packages containing the radium that is sent to the Bureau of\nradium, the following is the process through which the worker must\nStandards for examination and measurement come by registered\ngo: He must visit the safe where all the radium is kept, open the\nmail or express. They are delivered to the shipping room and then\ndoor, and, according to a check list, remove the lead-lined wooden\nbrought to the packing room of the radium section, where the pack-\nboxes containing the preparations desired. (See Pl. I.) The boxes\nages are opened by the employees. Approximately one-third of the\nare then carried to a smaller safe in an adjoining room, from which\nradium received is in sealed glass tubes from 1 to 2 centimetersi in\nthe preparations are taken one at a time for actual measurement.\nlength and about 2 millimeters in diameter, and the remainder is in\nThe individual preparations are taken to the electroscope, or instru-\nsealed metal needles from 12 to 21 centimeters in length and about\nment where the measurement readings are made, in a wooden carrier\n1 to 21 millimeters in diameter. The persons who do the unpack-\nhaving a long handle. In taking the radium from its place in the\ning stand behind cast-iron screens which are placed upon a table at\nwill"
}