22 



ARSENIC IN PAPERS AND FABRICS. 



some material to change the tint, to color such articles as are men- 

 tioned above, was very common in this country some thirty years ago. 

 In 1883 Wood" published a paper on Arsenic as a Domestic Poison. 

 He mentioned the fact that Paris and Scheele greens are often used 

 as pigments, and called attention to the use of colors which contain 

 arsenic as an impurity because of the use of this substance in their 

 manufacture, such as fuchsin, magenta, safranin, and some analin 

 maroons and browns. He also mentioned several mordants which 

 contain arsenic and are used to fix purple and red colors. Following 

 is a list, description, and analyses of several papers and fabrics 

 examined by this investigator. 



TABLE I. Analyses of wall papers and fabrics, 1882 (Wood). 



n Considerable amount. 



b Large amount. 



It is evident from the above table that in 1882, when the anatyses 

 were made, the presence of comparatively large quantities of arsenic 

 in papers was very common, and that not only the greens but other 

 colored papers contained this objectionable substance. It also 

 appears that the arsenic was not usually present as one of the con- 

 stituents of the pigment (for the figures for this substance under such 



"Report Mass. State Board of Health, 1883, p. 213. 



