Painters

Painters, persons of various professions that encompass a very diverse complex of works, having as their ultimate objective the coating of the most diverse objects with coloring substances for the purpose of protecting them from deterioration and for giving them an attractive appearance. Every painting job begins with preparation of the surface to be painted, and from objects that have already undergone preliminary painting treatment, old layers of paint are removed. This operation can be performed by the following three methods: 1) scraping, 2) burning, and 3) etching. Work by the first method, especially when applying 'dry cleaning,' is associated with considerable formation of dust and presents a great danger to the health of workers, particularly in cases where paints containing lead compounds are being removed. At present time in a number of countries due to legislative prohibition of dry cleaning, this method has been displaced. Burning of old paint is carried out with the aid of various devices (blowtorch, brazier, installations for autogenous cutting) and is accompanied by formation of dense smoke and soot. In the latter case, when cleaning lead-containing paints, lead is found in its pure form and in the form of lead oxide. Recently, Froboese has drawn attention to the formation in the air during these works of highly dispersed lead colloid (luftkolloides Bleioxyd), through which the poisonous paint can easily penetrate into the deepest parts of the lungs, where intensive absorption of lead into the body takes place. When burning paints, carbon monoxide is also formed as a byproduct, which in turn poisons the air of the work premises.--When etching old paint, various chemical substances are used: ammonia, alkalis, alcohol, ether, kerosene, gasoline, benzene, etc. The use of these cleaning agents is accompanied by the release into the air of vapors that are harmful to the bodies of workers and that can cause at certain concentrations acute professional poisonings (ammonia, gasoline, benzene). Thus, all the above-mentioned methods of removing old paint contain a series of serious professional hazards, and the development of a rational and harmless method of paint cleaning has long been an urgent task. After removal of the old paint (and when painting new items—after ordinary cleaning and smoothing of their roughnesses), the surface to be painted is covered with a primer, usually consisting of linseed oil or oil varnish with fine paint, most often white lead, the content of which in the primer layer reaches up to 33%; after this, puttying is performed, i.e., filling of depressions and irregularities with a special putty, which also often contains white lead (up to 50%), after which the surface is sanded with glass or sandpaper or sandpaper, and grinding is performed with pumice in dry form or with water. On the surface thus prepared, 2-4 coats of paint are applied, depending on the nature of the item, and before each subsequent application of a coat, the previous one is sanded again, and finally the last coat of paint to give a glossy and beautiful appearance to the item is usually covered with varnish. The main professional hazard in this painting process is the formation of dust, which in the case of the use of lead paints, oil varnishes, and driers serves as a cause of chronic lead poisoning. According to data from a number of researchers, the percentage of diseases with signs of lead accumulation and revealed clinical picture of lead poisoning among painters is quite high, and on the basis of a large number of observations this figure can be on average determined at 30-60% of all lead poisonings. In France, according to data from the Ministry of Labor, pursuant to the law of 25/X 1925, 41 cases of lead poisoning among painters were registered in 1927 and 43 cases in 1928. In Germany in 1928, 337 cases of lead poisoning were registered, which can be almost entirely attributed to painters. According to English statistics of occupational diseases, systematically processing these cases for about 30 years, 119 cases of lead poisoning among painters were registered in 1927 and 116 in 1928, which constitutes on average oo ^ of all cases of lead diseases for the corresponding years, with painters-building accounting for 82% in 1927 and 75% in 1928 of all poisoning cases among painters, while the mortality rate from lead diseases among persons engaged in building painting for the same years amounts to over 50% (41 out of 78) of all fatal cases of lead diseases in England for 1927 and 1928. The development of lead poisoning among building painters is extremely strongly promoted by those particularly heavy anti-hygienic working conditions that are inherent in construction work in general. This primarily includes the impossibility of installing ventilation devices, the absence of washbasins and showers, the relatively lower level of development of this group of workers who do not comply with existing safety rules, as well as the difficulty of conducting supervision over the implementation of these regulations in construction work. The ineffectiveness of health measures in the fight against lead poisoning in painting, given the current state of technology of manual painting work compared to other lead productions, can be demonstrated on the example of England, where over 23 years the number of poisonings among factory painters decreased only 2 times, while in another, much more harmful production—white lead production—improvements in the technological process managed to reduce the number of diseases 15 times during the same period.--Of other harmful factors encountered in the work of painters, unfavorable meteorological conditions should be noted, in which these works mostly proceed, especially in the exterior painting of buildings, various structures, and iron constructions (bridges, ships, etc.). Severe heat in summer months, cold and dampness in autumn are often the cause of various diseases among painters: rheumatism, inflammations of the respiratory tract, more rarely—heat strokes. As a result of excessive strain on organs from prolonged standing, especially in uncomfortable positions on ladders, on knees; changes in joints, diseases of joint capsules, varicose veins, flat feet, sensation of heaviness in legs and cramps in calves may occur. On the fingers, from constant pressure on them by the hands, calluses, subluxations form in the corresponding places. From frequent contact with various chemical substances (resins, paint solvents, varnishes, etc.), macerations, cracks, inflammatory processes, stubborn eczemas, inflammations of the nail bed, suppurations appear on the skin of the hands; these phenomena are especially frequently observed when preparing various putties, liquid paints, etching of old paint, polishing of items, cleaning of skin from paint residues. Coloring of objects by immersing them in vessels with coloring substances proceeds in completely different conditions. The main professional hazards in these works are the vapors of volatile substances used as paint solvents, as well as contamination of hands with paints in cases when immersion of objects is done manually. The nature of the vapors is determined by the composition of the solvent, which may contain quite poisonous substances, such as gasoline, benzene, and many others. Even greater concentrations of vapors of various solvents are formed in the production of paint spraying, in which paints are atomized under the action of increased pressure (2-3 atmospheres) and in the form of a thin stream are applied to the surface to be painted. In this method of painting, mists and clouds consisting of finely divided droplets of coloring substances are also formed, which in large quantities contain organic solvents, such as acetone, amyl acetate, methyl alcohol, trichloroethylene, gasoline, benzene, xylene, toluene, etc. All these substances, which are part of nitrocellulose paints and quick-drying lacquers, are present in them in high concentrations (from 50 to 85%) and when paints are sprayed constitute the main part of air-polluting substances. According to research conducted by the State Scientific Institute of Labor Protection, the amount of paint suspended in the air in a droplet-liquid state during various types of pneumatic painting varies greatly depending on the nature of the work (large or small painting), ventilation systems and composition of paints. For example, when investigating work on pneumatic exterior painting of railway cars, it was found that under the action of powerful ventilation, the content of paints in the air ranges from 0.3 to 27.5 mg/m³. When painting small items, however, with poor exhaust, this amount was higher and ranged from 11 to 245 mg/m³. The content of volatile substances in a vapor state also changed accordingly depending on the above-mentioned conditions. A much greater danger than in manual painting work is represented by the use of lead paints in the pneumatic method of painting.

An investigation conducted in 1927 by the Pennsylvania and American National Safety Council into spray painting work showed that among the workers examined, a large percentage showed signs of benzene and lead poisoning. Health measures in the field of painting must be directed toward eliminating those particularly harmful substances (lead, benzene, etc.) which cause the majority of occupational diseases among Painters. Legislation in capitalist countries in this regard is taking very timid steps. The draft convention adopted at the 3rd session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva in October 1921, prohibiting the use of white lead containing more than 2% lead in interior painting, cannot radically resolve the issue of improving the health conditions of painting work. The scope of this prohibition is very limited and concerns only part of painting work, and even with respect to interior painting, the draft convention provides for a number of possible exceptions that further devalue its significance as a means of combating lead poisoning among Painters. However, even this draft of the International Labor Bureau has not yet been ratified by all states that participated in its discussion. To date, the convention has been ratified by only 19 states. The largest European states, such as England and Germany, as well as the USA, have not ratified this convention. In most European countries, as well as in some countries on other continents (India, Australia, Tunisia), special regulations have been issued on measures to combat the hazards and dangers of painting work. Main attention in them is given to questions of personal hygiene, and many provisions also include prohibitions on working with dry lead paints, performing dry cleaning of old paint, as well as restrictions on the employment of women and adolescents in painting work with lead compounds, and mandatory periodic medical examinations of persons working with lead paints have been established. In the USSR, a policy of the complete elimination of white lead from painting work is consistently and firmly pursued. Through a series of legislative acts, a gradual transition from white lead to the use of lead-free paints (zinc and titanium whites, lithopone) has been prepared for all painting work, and only for a limited group of works (for painting ships, bridges) is the last mandatory resolution of the NKT of August 16, 1929, temporarily allowing the use of white lead, but not beyond January 1, 1935, by which time all technical research on the conditions for replacing white lead in these works with other harmless pigments must be completed. As for measures to combat the hazards of pneumatic painting, the possibility of implementing a number of health measures is facilitated here by the fact that the more advanced machine technology allows for the installation of special ventilation systems that in many cases can basically resolve the problem of improving the health conditions of these painting works; however, some restriction on the use of particularly harmful paints and solvents is also required here. In addition, questions of worker personal protection (respirators, gas masks) have particularly important significance here due to the impossibility of installing exhaust systems in certain types of painting work (construction). The most developed legislation on these issues exists in America, where in a number of states (Wisconsin, Michigan, Massachusetts, California, Pennsylvania, etc.) codes of special rules for the protection of labor of persons engaged in spray painting work have been issued. One of the first European states to issue a mandatory resolution on labor protection for these works is the USSR; before it, similar resolutions were issued in Belgium, and then more recently in Holland. By the mandatory resolution of the NKT USSR of June 22, 1930, No. 215 (News of the NKT USSR 1930, No. 19), the mandatory installation of ventilation systems is provided for all work where the spray painting method is used, with the exception of cases where this is technically not feasible (construction work). In addition, the use of lead paints, oils, and driers, as well as benzene as a solvent for varnishes, is prohibited in these works, and all coloring substances intended specifically for use in pneumatic painting must be standardized. Furthermore, the rules provide for the mandatory installation of washbasins, showers, separate rooms for eating, and other auxiliary sanitary installations necessary for the hygienic care of workers. Finally, this resolution also provides for standards of special clothing and other individual protective devices (respirators, goggles, gloves, etc.) to be issued to workers for constant wear while working.

D. Kagan