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“Note on the Presence of Arsenic in Paper Hangings/’ 
by Harry Grimshaw, F.C.S. 
That arsenic in various states of combination is very often 
present in the colouring matter of paperhangings is a very 
well ascertained fact. That it is not confined, as was at one 
time generally supposed, to those papers which are coloured 
green, is also pretty well understood, many chemists having 
found it in papers of all shades and colours, including even 
white and grey. 
A case which illustrates very well this general distribu- 
tion of arsenic in papers of various colours and shades, and 
also illustrates one or two other interesting features in con- 
nection with this subject, has been brought under my notice 
by Mr. E. Le Neve Foster, F.C.S., and it will perhaps be of 
some little interest to this Society. One of the two series 
of specimens of wall paper which I now show you consists 
of six papers of varying colours. Three greens, of different 
shades, light brown, dark brown, and pink, are the tints 
comprised, and all of them without exception contain 
arsenic largely. The pink, which is a very light shade, con- 
tains the least arsenic, and the brightest green contains the 
most, though one of the brown shades contains a very large 
amount. I have not determined the amount of arsenic 
quantitatively, as that was not needed to condemn the 
papers, but probably the pink paper contains a sufficiently 
large quantity of arsenic on one square foot to poison an 
adult person. 
When these papers were selected from a Lancashire 
manufacturer it was particularly specified that they should 
be free from arsenic. The absence of this body was assured 
in a positive manner, and no doubt the papers would have 
been definitely guaranteed to be absolutely free from arsenic. 
This assurance, however, from previous experience, was not 
relied on, and the papers were qualitatively analysed for 
arsenic with the result above stated. 
