THE DANGERS OF DRY-CLEANING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 439, 23 February 1909, Page 3

THE DANGERS OF DRY-CLEANING.

: ';Tlie,JLondori v .papers: ;are: strongly .'.waging war'■'. agaiii'st the us 6 of.■; petrol for :dry: cleaning.' '/Like: benzine, this oil;is. largely.used byv , a7nateUs?;Qleai3.er3i-aiid'. i !S;even;m6i , e: dan l gerqus" "thaliftliat"oil; .Again 'and- again? we have.:'heard , 0f..) dreadful burning accidents -from- the. use ,pf:.these.i oils,', and yet >omen" go; onVusirigithemYas .calmly as .if itheyiwere: haVriiiess'.'v'Many -think..that I .so lon£. as3 they do not take ■:the oil too close ■to a ■ light, 'all is .safOj.F.-lJut.<:th6;- : T€ar. danger, 'lies .'in; the (fact.' that both. benzine arid' petrol;give off an- in-' /flamiiiablo ; vapour, 'which; floats, and,-, under certainrcouditions/.can reacb.ia'light;atva d|staucei ;In.comparatively' still: a'iteospheres; : such as'-'that of a: room,/the heavy..vapour, will- slowly travelsdistahcesxof ten,.twenty, ; br : even ,tWrty feet in- a direction, inducedvby; a-; fall :of '; the .ground,' .or: gently . moving .'air: currents,' ancl,"' if "-it reaches 'stantly flash backj and ignite the: spirit from ■which' itiis.pvplyed; ;::h ■.-■ -.'"-.■!-. ; ""-",-.-;."".-"-/- - r'-'.." : = '- -'W.omen/'aro' moro exposed than men 'to the ■ risks 'arising from ; berizirie and ; petrol, riiot them for. dry cleaning, ; but. ; bet)aijßothfeir:daily domestic.dutifs , often lead :then: iiitol dahg«^. ; .'.■•■;A'.'wowah cleaning -her , , gloves .:in^an.oiitliouse,:baving ; taken every precaution against' fire, yhen.the" noise of' a kettle or' f'aucepah boiling over, will bar: forget _her : ;occupat;6n for :-thb woinenti' land 7 ruslrto turn: off the gasy; im- ; mediately' causing tbe,spirit;to by'her cpiitait; \vith thelight. /Another danger from : petrol-Tor- benzine: results; from_ the careless. habit .01 tbrowing/it.down drains.:.■ InvLondoii. several'dreadful burning: accidents;have happened to' men'working in.: sewers from, the: ignition:-'of.'- petroleum vapour ■ given? off■•' by spirit i which i-ba's ;,thbughtfe's3ly > been thrown, down a.sink,:i';The;opinion .of authoritiesi'-'iSn" tho'-subject is that \tp ■teach people ;ho\v- : to use uetrbl in the honieis'only :one,shade'less "raisclijcyous.Ctb.ari vtea.cliing.; "chilclren'i'hpw-Jto: play, with'fire:';,Wordslbf..caution: are rneglec.ted or. forgotten at the critical moment;, arid the pnly: safe': method is to have , all /dry cleaning done'only-on.the premises, of a' licensed. :dry«cleanerii where, all : precautions areAtakori accident. ■■/. ■'■'.-;. -/*/::/; ■:' ■',',y , -::-;'. , 'k ''-':}■('