COMPILED INVESTIGATIONS. 



23 



circumstances would have been much higher), but was introduced as 

 an impurity in the pigment or in the mordant used. In only one case 

 was the arsenic as low as is now required by the laws of Massachu- 

 setts, namely, 0. 1 grain of metallic arsenic per square yard for papers 

 and 0.01 grain for dress goods. 



In 1891 the legislature of Massachusetts authorized the State board 

 of health to make investigations in regard to the existence of arsenic 

 in papers, fabrics, and other commonly used articles. In compliance 

 with this authorization Hills a made an investigation, which was pub- 

 lished the same year. He found from analyses previously made by 

 him of 1,914 wall papers, during the years 1879, 1880, and 1881, that 

 67.9 per cent were nonarsenical, and 32.1 per cent arsenical, while 

 from analyses made during 1889, 1890, and 1891, of 2,142 wall papers, 

 67.9 per cent were found to be nonarsenical, 26.1 per cent to contain 

 less than 0.05 grain 6 per square yard, 3.1 per cent to contain 0.05 to 

 0.10 grain per square yard, and 2.9 per cent to contain over 0.10 grain 

 per square yard. He called attention to the fact that the first series 

 of papers was examined by a much less delicate method than the 

 second series, so that many papers which were reported as non- 

 arsenical the first time would doubtless have been found to contain 

 arsenic if the more delicate method had been used. Besides the 

 above samples of wall papers, 92 collected from all parts of Massa- 

 chusetts during 1891 were examined. It was found that 47.8 per cent 

 were nonarsenical, 41.3 per cent contained less than 0.05 grain per 

 square yard, 6.5 per cent contained between 0.05 and 0.10 grain per 

 square yard, and 4.3 per cent contained more than 0.10 grain per 

 square yard. 



Of 88 samples of "glazed and plated" papers 69.3 per cent were 

 nonarsenical, 21.6 per cent contained less than 0.10 grain of arsenic 

 per square yard, and 9.1 per cent contained more than 0.50 grain per 

 square yard. Of 32 samples of tissue paper (especially reds and 

 greens) 56.3 per cent were nonarsenical, and 43.7 per cent contained 

 only minute traces. 



The results of the examination of textile fabrics are given in the 

 following table: 



TABLE II. Determination of arsenic in textile fabrics, 1891 (Hills) . 





a Report of Mass. State Board of Health, 1891, p. 701. i> Estimated as arsenious oxid. 



