ABSORPTION OF HYDROCYANIC ACID. 
in practice. Schmidt probably did not get as high a concentration 
as this, but it must have been very high. This idea is strengthened 
by the fact that he reports marked physical effects on his fruits. 
Some of his results are shown in Table 1 . 
T 
able 1. — Hydrocyanic 
acid on fumigated fruits (Schmidt). 
Fruit. 
Length 
of time 
Hydrocyanic acid 
present. 
fumi- 
gated. 
After £ 
hour. 
After 48 
hours. 
Peaches 
Hours. 
2 
i 
Per cent. 
0.33 
.06 
.04 
Per cen f . 
0.05 
Do 
.02 
Plums M . . . 
.006 
Do 
20" i .03 
k- -02 
1 .008 
Pears 
.005 
Do 
20" 
24 
20* 
.02 
.01 
.16 
.003 
.07 
2 .008 
Apnles 
.002 
Do 
.08 
Do 
3 .016 
124 hours. 
* 5 days. 
3 14 days. 
Schmidt found that peaches which had been fumigated for 18 
hours gave off enough hydrocyanic acid to kill mice which were put 
in a jar with the fruit. He concludes that all fruits take up gaseous 
hydrocyanic acid and that certain fruits, for example peaches, take 
up the gas from even a very dilute atmosphere of it, so that it is pos- 
sible that eating such fruit may cause some injury to health. 
Quaintance (18) believes that very little, if any, gas is taken up 
by apples during fumigation with hydrocyanic acid. He and his 
associates have eaten freely of fumigated fruit, sometimes within 
30 minutes of its removal from the fumigation box. These apples, 
of course, were first wiped. 
Roberts (19) states that hydrocyanic acid fumigation does not 
injure any ordinary article of cargo. 
Howard and Popenoe (12), in describing the method of fumigation 
against household insects, say "liquids or moist foods, as milk, 
meat, or other larder supplies that are not dry and might absorb the 
gas, should be removed from the house." The inference is that other 
foods will not absorb enough of the fumigant to be dangerous. Their 
statement is apparently not based upon experimental evidence. 
Bail and Cancik (3) say that fluids and moist foods should not be 
left in rooms which are being fumigated. They state that Heymons 
(11) found that fumigated flour was unchanged and nonpoisonous 
and that they found the same to be true for bran. After fumigating a 
food warehouse it is recommended that the food shall be used only 
after airing and that grain be shoveled over several times. 
Bail (2) reports that Herr Hofrat v. Zeyneck found that after 
fumigation with 1 per cent by volume of hydrocyanic acid gas (time 
not stated) raw meat (minced) contained 186 parts of hydrocyanic 
acid per million, even after airing for 10 hours, moist vegetables con- 
tained 90 parts per million after airing for 2 days, fine flour contained 
45 parts per million after 10 hours, and bran contained 30 parts per 
million. He recommends that all foods, whether wet or dry, be 
removed before fumigation. . 
