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I thought the final note “which can irritate modern day readers” in the heading was a funny comment. Were historic readers immune to the effects? Has a binder d
by jwagenet 1y ago
I thought the final note “which can irritate modern day readers” in the heading was a funny comment. Were historic readers immune to the effects? Has a binder deteriorated such that the irritants come off more readily? Likely neither and it’s always been a problem, but it’s an unanswered question.
- userbinator 1y agoProbably has always been a largely occupational hazard and otherwise of little concern to the general public, even those who read books regularly. Of course in this era where fear sells and everything has to be harmless regardless of real risk, it's become a more prominent issue.
- iterance 1y agoI don't think this is a "fear sells" issue. Arsenic green is remarkably toxic. In the 19th century, the toxicity just wasn't known or recognized as serious. Now, we know better. Medical diagrams from the time period show hand injuries on people who worked with arsenic compounds regularly (deep sores that won't heal, e.g.)
- bananalychee 1y agoI assume one would develop tolerance to those acute symptoms from repeated exposure.