Coal fired steam engines & black lung??

I've never heard of any. Since niether the coaling dock laborers nor Firemen where involved with "no fresh air" environments, I doubt the "black lung" problem of coal miners was ever an issue for those employees of the railroads.

I know back in the days when you had to have a prescription to own a bathtub, London chimneysweeps used to often develop skin cancer in areas where coal dust accumulated, like their groin or under their arms. Otherwise, I don't recall ever hearing about firemen or engineers having trouble like black lung.

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back in the days when you had to have a prescription to own a bathtub

What was the reasoning behind that?

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Originally posted by Kent Loudon:

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back in the days when you had to have a prescription to own a bathtub

What was the reasoning behind that?

REALLY!?

There is just too much fresh air going on around the Cab for Black Lung. That is from down in the Mine when the coal dust hang in the air among other things. There is also Sand (And other types of powdered materials) Lung, Asbestos lung etc.

If memory serves, the Mine would oil down the coal and advertise it as blue coal or similar.

A few winters ago, I heard from London that folks slow burned very large books with massive amounts of paper out of dusty book shops during the winter nights to save big versus buying a bucket of coal or other fuel at the time.

The dirtiest job in a roundhouse was that of "flue blower." During its monthly boiler wash, the flues of a locomotive were blown. The house steam line was hooked up to the blower, the flue blower entered the firebox and proceeded to blow each flue. Everyone left the vicinity of the firebox including the cab. The FB would wrap a large bandana around his face, were goggles and when finished would look like Al Jolson singing Mamie.

Biggest medical problem of the day, was caused by alcohol

Only story I ever heard, an engineer from the NKP that was my dad's best man at my parent's wedding, died of Mesothelioma. That type is associated with exposure to asbestos. Could be that he smoked cigars, too...

Dave

Asbestos esposure was common in roundhouses and backshops, with all that white stuff 'neath the boiler jackets that had to be disturbed to make major repairs. Add a generally dirty environment and lots of tobacco use, and the lung results were not good.

I look at this and get Mesothelioma.

White stuff.

I have been around the stuff in heavy industry and am amazed that I have not got it.

A MRI did show other damage from specific non pollutant causes.

But I did quit smoking for a reason. 12,000 feet at 70 mph is not the place to have a lung set that cannot keep you conscious.

Black lung was rare in coal mines until recent times and the use of mechanical diggers that put fine pieces of coal in the air. For a good description of this, read Homer Hickam's Rocket Boys.

Bob

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Originally posted by Kent Loudon:

quote:

back in the days when you had to have a prescription to own a bathtub

What was the reasoning behind that?

In the 1700's - 1800's it was believed by most people - including Doctors - that immersing the body in water wasn't good for you. It wasn't until people like Joseph Lister and Dr. Pasteur came along and explained about germs and bacteria that people started to "clean up their act".

Back then, they also believed lying down flat was bad for you, and used to sleep partially sitting up. That's why beds from 200 years ago are often so short, it wasn't because people were so much shorter.

Steam Engine crews could be victems of SILICOSIS. With continous sanding on long grades a sand dust is created by the sand being crushed by the driving wheels.
This dust would enter the cab and be inhaled by the crew.
In pictures of steam engines on the C&O which worked the mountain grades you will see the driving wheels and the tender coated with the white coating of sand dust. Also tunnels subjected the engine crew to smoke from the engines exhaust. Crews would get a hand full of cotton WASTE soaked with water and hold it over their mouth and nose in a attempt to filter out the smoke.

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Crews would get a hand full of cotton WASTE soaked with water and hold it over their mouth and nose in a attempt to filter out the smoke.

True, but many of those locomotive cabs had "fresh air hoses", from the number two main reserviors, which the crews could use for breathing thru the moistened cotton waste/rags.