I never thought too much about glass being made from moulds; until I spoke with my friend recently & she commented that a man had died of cancer... that was very hard to detect, but died 2 weeks after it was diagnosed.... had just had a stomach ache. Then his friends realized that everyone that worked in the 'making moulds' section of the Alton, ILLINOIS glass factory (whose display - wholesale store I visited a few years back) had died of cancer:  2 with leukemia This is a side track from my learning about chemicals in general.

 

www.valdezlink.com/hi.htm and specifically more about what happened to the workers of the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup  www.valdezlink.com/valdez_evos_photos.htm   

(I call them the first Gulf War Syndrome victims) - Is a composite web page I just put together yesterday.

I am curious as to what goes on in the mould division of a glass foundry that could cause cancer.... maybe there is something that could help the future workers... but I'm sure someone is already figuring that out.  If there are any studies I'd like to know. 

Learning about glass making is an interesting topic in itself with so much history and so much glass used.  An industry I hadn't heretofore known much about.  

I suppose I just like to learn. 

Sincerely,  Margaret 

www.valdezlink.com/chemical_industry.htm

I have researched ancient and pioneer glassmaking, mold making, etc.  I have a couple old books from 1900-1920, they are recipe books for glass.  Many many toxic ingredients went into the melt.  Lead, arsenic, heavy metals, uranium, etc.  Some of the photos in these old books show the factory floor, with workers.  Most workers were young boys, many look to be around 8 yrs old.  The fumes and smoke are noticeable in the photos.  Much has changed since then, but our desire for richly-colored glass means that many toxic chemicals are still used.  I know the EPA actually shut down one of Spectrum's product lines last year because of emissions.  It was a rich opaque red glass made with selenium and cadmium.  They are located in Woodenville, on the outskirts of Seattle, and make sheet glass for stained glass windows.

Says a glass educator, "My guess is that the fumes from the melting area somehow came to settle in the mold shop.  Mold shops are just machine shops with lots of lathes and milling machines.  Nothing too toxic there."

"Glass art is a very consumptive and ecologically irresponsible activity.  Most fumes are generated while the glass batch is boiling, and all the ingredients are releasing gases.  Re-melting glass does not cause it to re-boil, as there are no more raw ingredients which release gases."