Ask the Scholar

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    "title": "Other, no date",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "ocrText": "1. Establish credentials of men questioned.\n2. Are you familiar with the literature pretaining to the internal administration of\nradium.\n3. Have you ever noted anything in such literature which showed contraindication for\nmith\nthe use of radium chloride internally.\n4. Over what period of time does the internal administration of radium chloride extend.\n5. Do you recall when articles first began to appear in the literature with reference\nto this subject\n6. Have there appeared any articles on this subject of recent date, and if so how\nrecent.\narth chloich sult\n7. To the best of your knowledge is radium chloride being used internally by the\nmedical profession at the present time.\n8. Was radium chloride used internally in 1925.\n9. Was radium bloride used internally in 1915.\n10. Was radium chloride used internally between the periods of 1915 to 1925.\n11. Have you ever used radiumehleride internally.\n12. Have you used it by injection, either intravenously, intramuscularly, or sub-\ncutaneously.\n13. Have you prescribed the use of radium chloride internally by mouth.\nhan\nthime of\n14. During what periods did you prescribe radium chloride internally.\n15. What was the average dosage used by you upon patients treated internally by this method, and\nexpressed in minogramof madium element\nat\nby you.\n16. What was the maximum amount of radium chloride, you administered, to any single individual\n17. Will you specify generally the conditions for which you prescribed this type of\nmedication, disregarding whether or not the results obtained were beneficial.\n18. Did you ever note any untoward effects resulting from the use of radium chloride\ninternally.\n19. If so, did you ascribe these effects to the reaction of the individual to the\ninjection or to the effects of the radium chlor ide in the system.\n26.\nAs time progressed Jahnd have you had the opportunity to check patients which were given\nan\nthis type of medication. suching chlonicale internally.\n21. If so, your atten any/untoward appeared\nluming have dividentor her aggremented by the prevence of rachin in the system\nto develop which might be ascribed to radium chloride in the system. have hurr might\nhas hum it ever you come her to noted that Juny hisan conditions andition or\nmay\n22. You then state that you used radium chloride internally from\nto\ninternally, and that you never noted any untoward effects whoch could be ascribed\nto the physiological action of the radium chloride upon the system.\n23. What in your opinion happens to the radium chloride solutions administered interanlly\nonce they are in the system.\n24.\nIn case that you state they are eliminated, do you have any idea how rapidly such\nelimination occurs.\n25.\nAre you familiar with the work of Siol, Viol end Gordon, done in 1915, with\nreference to the rate of elimination of radium chloride administered internally.\n26.\nIs it not true that within 5 days after an injection of radium chloride internally\nor intramuscularl 35 to 45% is eliminated by way of the feces and urine, and\nthat radium chlor ide given by mouth 65 to 75% is eliminated at the expiration of\n5 days.\nDuit Viol+Consh\nIs it not true that these authors further state that after the expiration of the\n10th day the rate of elimination, regardless of whether the radium chloride used\nwas given intravenously, intramuscularly or per os, is practically the same and\nthat it is slightly less than 1%.\n28.\nBased upon this work how long a period of time would you assume would be required\nby a patient, who had an injection of say 50 micrograms of radium element, before\nwould int it would not be he practically printically all all eliminated. elimented in tight month to to Are\ninght months\n29.\nAre you familiar with the work of Dominicaeand his associates, published in the\nliterature around 1910 to '13, with reference to the internal administration of\nradium salts.\n30.\nIs it not a fact that Domincie was directing his efforts towards developing a\nradium preparation which when once introduced into the system would remain for\nallonger period of time than the common ordinary soluble salts such 0.0 the\nchloride\n31.\nIs it not also true that Domincie did not meet with much success in fixation\nof radium even when the colloidal radium sulphate was administered internally.\n32.\nDid he not find that this material was eliminated with about the same expediency\nas the more suluble salts.\n33.\nI assume Doctor that you are versed in the solubility of the various products of\nraduum, such as the chloride, bromide and sulphate\n34.\nAnd that you are aware that the chloride and bromide salts are readily soluble\nin aqua solutions, and that the sulphate of radium is considered one of the most\ninsoluble inorganic compounds on which we have information\n35.\nI further assume that you are aware that radium, and the more common element\nbarium areanalogous in their chemical bëhaviour, and that even though barium\nsulphate is considered practically insoluble, that radim sulphate is 100 times\nless soluble or has a solubility approximately 1/100 of barium sulphate. Based\nupon these facts let us outline two cases: First - that a definite amount of a\nsoluble salt, such as radium chloride be taken by mouth, and second, that a like\namount in the form of the sulphate be taken by mouth, what would be your assumption\nas to the course of the radium in these two instances.\n36.\nWould you not assume in view of the highly insoluble nature of radium sulphate\nthat it would practically all be eliminated thru the feces, and that a certain\namount of the soluble salt would in all probability be picked up by the blood\nstream.\nYou under tand that thes question is purely a hypothical one, and\none which we ask for your opinion based upon the knowledge of the art as of\n1915 and 1925, or any period between these dates, and not in view of the informa-\ntion which we have at the present time.\nin\nany\nway\napply\nto\nthe\ninternal\nuse\nof\nradium\nin\nsmall\ndoses\nusually\nadministration\nIs not the administration of radium internally, either intravenously, intramusullary\netc., or industring os work entirely separate and apart from the use of large amount of\nradium, where the effects are due primarily to the beta and gamma radiation.\nIs it not a fact that the principal beneficial effects that have occured from the\ninternal use of radium chloride may be ascribed to the alpha radiation.\nHas there ever occured anything in the literature with regard to the protection\nand precaution, to be exercised in the handling of radium such as has been administ-\nered internally, let us say up to 100 micrograms of radium element\nWill you describe what in your opinion constitutes a large enough quantity of\n1°\nradium that precautions recommended by the Britich X-ray and Radium Proections\nComm etc. should be exercised.\nLet us assume for a moment that at the time we employed operators engaged in the\napplication of self luminous material to clock dials etc., that an operator was\n11\ngiven at one time a maximum of 222 grams of zinc sulphide, and such 2 grams\ncontained a maximum of 60 micrograms of radium element, would such an amount\nhave been sufficient in your opinion that it would have been necessary to\nexercise the precautions outlined by the Brithsh X-ray and Radium Protection etc.\nLet us assume for a moment that an individual should have ingested radioactive\nmaterials as was claimed by those employed in our plant, and that they retained\nthis material for a prolonged period of time, would that not be contrary to\nexpectations, in view of the liberature relative to the elimination of radioactive\nmaterials.\nIs it not a fact that individuals who have unduely retained this material and\nnot eliminated it in the usual manner present some idiosyncrasy which is not\ncommon to the average individual.\nsuch\nnorman\nMay not this idiosyncrasy be of/a nature that the persons/health was jepordized\neven though they had not been exposed to radioactive materials in a manner whereby\nit was possible for them to ingest\nIs it not probable to assume that in the first place such individuals as unduely\nretained this material must have been suffering from a lack of proper functioning\nof their excretory organs.\nDoes it not appear to be reasonable to assume that any individual who was int\nnormal health and one whose excretory organs are functioning properly, and who\nobtained the proper amount of daily exercise and otherwise in good health\nwould not have retained this material over such prolonged periods of time.\nAre you familiar with the work of Allen, Bowing and Fowntree, in Vol. 86 pgs\n164 to 168 of the Journal of the AmMmAn, 1927 On the use of radium in internal\n\"\nmedecine.\nWith waht institution are these men connected.\nDid they forcast in their article any possible deleterious effects occuring from\nthe internal use of radium de\n45.\nWould not the fact that the rad un ingested was in a insoluble form, such as the\nsulphate lead you to believe that there would have been little or no danger\nthru absorption, and that the material would have been readily excreted thru the\nfeces.\nAre you familiar with New and None Official Remedies\nWill you kindly describe the purpose of this book\nIs it not a fact that radium chloride for internal use was recognized by New\nand Non Official Remedies in 1915 and continued to do so fter until 1927.\nand continuals theirfr write 1928\nDid they not recognize both the intravenous, intramuscular solution and subcutaneous. use\nof radium chloride, as weel as the use of radium administered per 05: by\nmonth\nIs it not a fact that they recommended as a standard dosage, where radium chlord\nwas to be administered by mouth, anywhere from 2 to 6 micrograms daily ld\nIs it not a fact that they would not list or recognize any product as having any\nbeneficial properties which would contain a dosage of less than 2 micrograms\nof radium element or its equibalent in radon daily.\nIs it not a fact that in all probability a dosage taken daily of 6 micrograms\nwould contain more than could possibly have been absorbed by the operators who\npracticed the habit of pointing brushes with their lips.\nIs it not a fact that New and Non Official \"emedies did not specify any maximum\ndosage or any dosage which might prove injurious.\nIs it not a fact that from New and Non Officiel \"em. one would have been justified\n59\nin prescribing the use of radium chloride by mouth over prolonged periods of time\nsay from 6 months to a year The dosage varying anywhere from 2 to 6 per day.\nIs it not a fact that probably such amounts have been administered, and that as\nfar as you know no deleterious effects, either current or latent were recognized.\nIs it not a fact that the dangers of large quantities of radium have been recog-\n6\nnized since its early youth. me\nwith\nVamilin\non\nIn this connection may I ask if you are versed in in the deep ray therapy of radium\n6\nAre you familiar with the precautions necessary and recommended in the handling of\nsuch this material rachin for this Improve.\nThese precautions have been recommended by the British X-ray and Radium Protections\nCommittee, Bureau of Standards Dept. of Commerce Xray and Radium Protection,\nMottram, Desjardines, and others.\nAre you familiar with have any moducent or all of the effects large amounts of radium and radio-\nactive preparations, some of which may have been deleterious, described by\nCameron; Carmen; de Courmelles, Gudzent & Halberstaedter, Jaulin; Larkins,\nLazarus Barlow; Lazarus, Loeb; Reitter; Russ, Chambers & Scott, Weil, Weil &\nLacassagne.\n0\nDo the recommendations of the British X-ray and Radium Protection Comm. etc., or\nthe men who have described the biological effects of large amounts of rad am\n37.4 You are doubtless familiar with certain conditions which have been described in\nthe literature recently, that have been ascribed to the accumulation and reten-\ntion of radium element in the system by people employed in the application of\nself luminous material to watch, clock dials etc.\n38.\nJI assume Doctor that you are familiar with the method by which it is claime\n(the particular girls or operators afflicted, ingested the material.\nhave\nan\n39.\nYou are probably further qware that the conditions which is ascribed to have were\nresulted from this type of work, first described around 1925, and that it was\ndescribed in the light of being a new discovery.\n40.\nIn view of the facts as developed let us say 1925, did you then consider the\n41\ninternal use of radium chloride befraught with any immediate or possible latent\nhazards.\n41\nDid you considerthat there WAS any analogy between the ingestion of radium, such\nas was claimed to have been done in the case of these girls and the administration\nof radium chlor de internally under medical supervision\n42. Are you familiar with the articles by Dr. Harrison Martland, occuring in vol. 85,\n1769, 1925, and volume 92, 466 to 73 552 to 559, 1929, issues of the\nJournal of the A. M. A. These articles outline Dr. Martland's analysis of the\n47\nsituation in Jersey.\nIn these articles Dr. Martland states briefly that a\ngirl might ingest anywhere from 15 to 215 of radioactive substances per week.\nA simple calculation will show that in the event That We take average\n185 micrograms per week that an operator would waste approxima $11 50 worth\nwhen an conneter that\nof material per week.\nThis hardly seems plausible, inasmach, as these girls\nwere only getting from $18 to $25 per week.\nLet us make another assumption\nthat each operator wasted 50 micrograms of radium element per week, and that with\n250 girls working this would mean that during the course of a year 630 milligrams\nof radium element would be lost, or approximately 1/3 of the total amount of material\nwhich was used for this purpose, this on the face of it could not have been true\nwould unless the - corperation was my workful\n43. Referring to the work of Flinn, the Journal of the A.M.A. Dec. 18,1926: Flinn\nestimates that an operator who practiced the habit of pointing the brush with her\nlips might ingest approximately 0.5 grams a week, which would contain approximately\n7.2 micrograms of radioactive substances.\nWhile his estimated amount is\napproximately 1/2 of the estimated minimum of Dr. Martland, still it seems much\nmore within reason.\nDisregarding the fact of whether or not the practice of\npointing the lips was ever common practice or a recognized one, but assuming that\none had knowledge at the time these girls were employed, 1915 to 1923. that\nthey were pointing the brushes with their lips, and that they were ingesting weekly\n7.5 micrograms of radium element, precipitated as the sulphate - would you have\nconsidered that there ham was a possibility that these grils would have absorbed radim\n?\nor radon which would remain in defent their system for a period of years - say 5 to 10?\nyour\n44. Had you known that the girls were absorbing weekly 7.5 mc. of radium element would\nyou have considered that there might have any possible injury resulted from such\n49\ningestion either current or latent?\n+P\nFor your information allow me to\nstate that in the preparation of self luminous zinc sulphide the common practice\nconsists of taking the properly prepared zinc sulphide, wetting this with water, and\nthen adding the required amount of radium in the form of a soluble salt in solution.\nto this mixture there is added a small amount of an alkaline sulphate salt such as\namonium sulphate, with the object of precipitating the radi un as a sulphate, such\nprecipitation taking place upon the surface of the crystaline zinc sulphide.\nBy such a procedure there is a wide distribution of the radium over the surface of\nof\nthe\nzinc\nsulphide\nnevertheless,\nwe\nmust\nassume\nthat\nthe\nis\nas\nth"
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