historical Archives - Free Stock Photos

Black Men Working in the 1940s

August 3, 2011January 9, 2021 Brian

This April 1941 historical photograph was provided by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It depicted a number of African-American workers loading nitrate of soda into cotton bags. Note that the men were equipped with inadequate respiratory protection. One worker in the background was wearing a simple dust mask. The worker in the center was using a bandana as protection, while the others were completely unprotected. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Industrial Hygiene Division (IHD) investigated hazards associated with activities such as metal grinding. The potential worker health problems associated with nitrate of soda dust include both inhalational respiratory pathology, and dermatitic, or skin irritation upon contact. Prolonged exposure may cause anemia, weakness, general depression, headache, mental impairment, methemoglobinemia, and nephritis.

keywords: black and white, nitrate of soda, no protection, respiratory problems, African American workers, 1940s, 1950s, 9463

Black Man in 1950s in a Dry Cleaners

August 3, 2011January 9, 2021 Brian

Historical Stock Photos: From 1950, this historical photograph was provided by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and depicted an African American worker in a dry cleaning establishment using the chemical “benzol”, another name for “benzene” (C6H6), in order to “spot clean” a garment. Benzene is a proven carcinogen, and very flammable. In the 1950s, the Industrial Hygiene Division (IHD) investigated hazards in dry cleaning environments. New non-flammable cleaners had recently been introduced that created concerns about their toxicity.

As of 2005, there were approximately 36,000 dry cleaning businesses in the U.S. with most employing less than ten people. The focus today is on the perchloroethylene, used as a solvent in 85% of dry cleaning shops. It is carcinogenic in animals and suspected to be so in humans

keywords: dry cleaning, african-american, black, black and white, NIOSH, Benzol, Benzene.

Researcher Using a Pipetter

June 5, 2011January 31, 2015 Brian

This Centers for Disease Control microbiologist was shown here delivering tissue culture specimens into a microtiter plate using an instrument know as a pipetter. The culture samples were to be tested for the presence of the influenza virus.

The presence or absence of influenza virus would be determined by using an agglutination test. If it involved the agglutination, or clumping of red blood cells (RBCs), the phenomenon is known as hemoagglutination.

Diagnostic tests available for influenza include viral culture, serology, rapid antigen testing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and immunofluorescence assays. Sensitivity and specificity of any test for influenza might vary by the laboratory that performs the test, the type of test used, and the type of specimen tested. Among respiratory specimens for viral isolation or rapid detection, nasopharyngeal specimens are typically more effective than throat swab specimens. As with any diagnostic test, results should be evaluated in the context of other clinical and epidemiologic information available to health-care providers.