The effects of poison gas on munitions workers' health
By 1918 the use of poison gas, first introduced in 1915, was routine when bombarding enemy trenches. A great number of workers were assigned by the Ministry of Munitions to produce shells filled with the noxious substances. Numerous BMJ authors remark on the apparent protection afforded by all types of gas production except phosgene ( Table 1 ).
Dr Gregor, writing in 1919, informs us that it was apparently "custom to take children suffering from whooping cough to the nearest gasworks and expose them to the fumes emanating from the oxide of the iron purifiers during the process of cleansing, and the parents of these children firmly believe that by doing so the attack is much mitigated".<sup>[14]</sup> He goes on to report a comparative cohort analysis of the incidence of influenza in populations with different exposure levels to gases ( Table 2 ). Assuming that uniformed personnel were the fittest population, the difference in incidence is striking.
