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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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the greatest items of their business was the manufacture of benzol. We had quite an agonized time for a year or two while we experimented with every known method of painting automobiles that wouldn't give people benzol poisoning, without so much ventilation that it would draw the man out through the hood as well as the fumes. Anything so big as that ventilated sufficiently to get the fumes out makes a terrific draft.

Finally the company itself came up with an improved type of toluol, which is another solvent, which after a great deal of experimentation, trouble and so on, they discovered by their improvements could be made to have the same kind of solvent properties as benzol. After thorough testing with a great many laboratories, including Harvard Medical and our own, it was decided that it was non-poisonous. It did not give any resulting disease. They came up with it themselves, which is really pretty good. My old specenes were full of the fact that the substitution of toluol had solved the benzol problem. I believe that it has continued. Benzol has lessened in its attack. Toluol is more commonly used and a number of other solvents have come in.

Another place that we found this benzol poisoning was in raincoat factories. They were just beginning to paste





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