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The following is a summary of the types of work undertaken by outworkers in the Borough:-
Wearing apparel 357
Household linen 1
Curtains and furniture hangings 3
Umbrellas 5
Artificial flowers 9
Brush making 3
Cardboard boxes 26
Feather sorting 2
Boxing, carding of buttons 85
Christmas crackers and stockings 19
Total 510
RADIOACTIVE SUBSTANCES ACT 1960
Notification is received of all premises within the Borough in respect of which certificates are
issued by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, for the keeping and use therein of radioactive
materials.
During theyearten visits were made to these premises by a senior public health inspector who has
received special additional training in this subject. Information was obtained on the radioactive substances
used, their storage and the disposal of any waste products. In one case, this resulted in the return of
stocks of strontium 90 and thalium 204 to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority as these items were
used very infrequently. In addition, the method of storage of the remaining radioactive substances at
these premises was considerably altered. In a further case it was pointed out that adequate warning
notices had not been displayed at the site where the radioactive isotope was being used to measure the
correct filling of cans.
A complaint was received from a lady concerning alleged contamination of her clothing, resulting,
it was said, in various skin irritations following her inadvertent opening of a letter from the Radiological
Protection Service, not addressed to her but containing a film badge and metal container used to measure
radiation. As a precaution and with the assistance of a radiological research laboratory at one ofthe
premises registered by the Ministry, various items of clothing belonging to this lady were monitored. It
was confirmed that there was no evidence of radiation and that the badge and metal container were not
capable of emitting radiation.
Lead Poisoning
The year produced no less than five cases of lead poisoning with some interesting and unusual features.
A six year old girl took ill and was admitted to hospital. She appeared to have an infection, but
she had a history of lead poisoning at the age of two, and when a further specimen of blood was taken
the lead content was found to be raised. The old records showed that the original cause was considered
to be the child's habit of eating soil from the garden, which happened to contain more lead than usual,
due to its being near the site of an electric battery company, closed several years before. However,
this seemed unlikely to account for the recent incident, since the garden had been cemented over, and
as far as could be ascertained - the child had given up the habit. The conclusion was the apparent
recurrence was probably the liberation of lead from the bones into the circulation due to an infection.
But since so many questions had been raised in the enquiry, it was decided to undertake a long-term
investigation.
A mother had an exceptionally distressing problem with her three year old daughter who literally
ate them out of house and home. Her fondness for eating the plaster from the walls, leaving large holes,
resulted in exasperated landlords giving them noticeto quit. When she was found to have lead poisoning,
our assumption that it was due to lead in the plaster was shaken somewhat when laboratory tests revealed
that the lead content of this was extremely low. Although some of the paintwork contained up to twenty
percent of lead, there was no evidence that she ever chewed it. We were inclined to think that the quantity
of plaster consumed had made up for the low concentration, but the discovery at a late stage that she had
been seen to suck a lead soldier (unfortunately lost) threw doubts on the theory. However, there was
unexpected supporting evidence from another part of the Borough. A thirteen year old boy, also fond of
eating plaster, was found to have lead poisoning. He varied this diet occasionally with brickdust and
fragments of a local newspaper. None of these had a high lead content, so it would seem that, notwithstanding
the importance of the concentration of lead in substances consumed, more attention needs to be
paid to their total amounts especially if they appear to be comparatively harmless.
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