386 APPLIED SCIENCE 



little heat is required to shrivel the paint. Danger of poison- 

 ing from this method may arise, however, when the burned 

 paint is allowed to lie upon the floor of the shop until ground 

 to dust. This dust is stirred up by the feet of the workmen 

 or by moving materials, and is constantly inhaled and swal- 

 lowed. The scraps of paint should, in every instance, be 

 cleaned up before they become dry. The painter should 

 moreover be extremely careful in handling his food and to- 

 bacco, and should avoid wearing dusty and paint-soaked 

 clothing. 



433. Poisonous Vehicles. The dangerous vehicles of 

 paints are turpentine, benzine, naphtha, benzol, wood alco- 

 hol, and amyl acetate. Turpentine, used as a dryer and 

 for thinning, is a constituent of many paints and varnishes 

 and often makes up the entire vehicle. The inhaling of 

 much turpentine-laden air causes headache, dizziness, irrita- 

 tion of the throat, etc. These fumes also cause inflammation 

 of the skin and often affect the nervous system, as is evident 

 in the typical symptoms of staggering and, in extreme cases, 

 loss of consciousness. 



Benzine and naphtha are used in hard oils as dryers, and 

 often constitute a large percentage of the vehicle in cheap, 

 quick-drying paints. Fumes from these liquids affect the 

 nervous system much as does alcohol, causing staggering, 

 defects of memory, and disturbance of sight and hearing. 

 Where the workman is long exposed to these fumes, chronic 

 poisoning takes place, causing skin diseases, weakness, ner- 

 vousness, and sometimes even impaired mentality. 



Benzol is used in priming and as a paint- and varnish- 

 remover, because of its penetrating and solvent qualities. 

 Benzol fumes are very dangerous and may be fatal. They 



