View report page

70
supplementary report.
(Special Report presented to the General Purposes Committee).
"The refuse sorted consists of household dust, ashes and cinders
from fires, scraps of waste food, and other offensive matters, and
this refuse is sorted and separated into (1) breeze, consisting of
cinders and small particles of coal; (2) hard core, consisting of
bottles, tins, crockery, metal pots and pans, etc.; and (3) soft core,
consisting of animal and vegetable matters and texile substances.
The breeze and the hard core are sold to brickmakers, builders, and
others; whilst the soft core is chiefly burnt, in each case in a
destructor provided for the purpose. The whole process is an
exceedingly offensive one, and most degrading to the workpeople
employed in it, especially women and girls, who are to be seen
standing with the refuse up to their waists, if not higher; whilst
the foul odours which are given off during the process of sorting,
and also from the heaps of refuse awaiting sorting, may, and often
do, become a nuisance to the surrounding neighbourhood. This
business of hand sorting is recognised by all Sanitarians to be a
most noxious and degarding business, though (here is always a
difficulty in proving actual injury to health from such an offensive
occupation. There can be no doubt, however, as to such a trade
process being dangerous to health, when one considers that the
employees work half buried in offensive, and more or less
decomposing and fermenting, organic refuse, the fumes from which
surround them, and are being breathed and re-breathed
continuously."
I have already reported to the same effect, with the result that
action was taken against the City Corporation and the Clerkenwell
Council with reference to the hand sorting of refuse that was
being, at that time, carried on in connection with their Wharves,
situated in Lambeth, and, as the result of such action, hand sorting
of refuse at these particular Wharves was discontinued. The
Lambeth Sanitary Authority having taken this action, I venture to
ask the General Purposes Committee to pause before opposing the
proposed legislation by the London County Council during the
Session of 1904, with a view to preventing the hand sorting of
dust in future in London. As Medical Officer of Health, I have
no hesitation in certifying that such a trade process is dangerous
to the health of those employed therein, though it is difficult to
prove actual injury to their health; more especially on account of
the persons employed being what are known in statistics as
"picked lives."
Joseph Priestley.
September 23rd, 1903.