322 CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF EXPLOSIVES
or “phlegmatizing” substances such as ozokerite, bee’s wax or paraffin. The last
is the least efficient because of its non-polar structure. Desensitized TNT was proved
to be expedient during the great naval battle between the German and British
fleets at Skagerrack in 1916. The British battleships Indefatigable, Queen Mary,
Invincible, Black Prince and Defence, were sunk by the fire of the German fleet
which was using desensitized TNT, whereas the British shells loaded with picric
acid mostly exploded on impact and failed to penetrate the armour of the German
warships, causing no damage.Toxicity of α− rinitrotoluene...........................
There is a considerable diversity of opinion as to the toxicity of trinitrotoluene.
In Germany the substance is considered to be completely or almost completely
non-toxic, while in Great Britain it is regarded as a highly toxic material. The
reason for these divergent views has not been fully explained.
In the opinion of Koelsch [119], Curshmann [120], Van Duin [121], and others,
pure α− trinitrotoluene is non-toxic. They consider that impurities present in TNT,
such as dinitrobenzene and tetranitromethane, are responsible for any toxic effects
caused by TNT. According to Koelsch, idiosyncrasy manifested by poisoning
symptoms, has heen met with.
As reported in German and French official literature, the manufacture and use
of TNT has not been connected with any great difficulties from the viewpoint of
industrial hygiene. Nevertheless, some data indicate that cases of poisoning by
TNT, sometimes fatal, have happened. Thus, in the Darmstadt district in the period
between 1915 and 1918, 443 cases of poisoning by nitro compounds (mainly TNT)
were registered. Among them 13 were fatal (10 women and 3 men).
The wide demand for TNT during World War I compelled factories to hasten
manufacture, sometimes with insufficient regard for industrial hygiene. In some
countries (e.g. Great Britain, the U.S.A.) during the 1914-1918 war numerous
illnesses or even deaths of people employed in TNT manufacture, filling shells
etc., were registered:Year Number of cases Fatalities(^191618152)
1917 189 44
1918 34 10
The fall in the number of poisoning cases registered in 1918, was mostly
the result of introducing stricter measures and appropriate safety regulations.
The Germans (e.g. Koelsch [119]) assert that the numerous cases of poisoning
that occurred in Great Britain were caused mainly because benzene was present
in the toluene used for nitration, thus giving rise to the formation of dinitro-
benzene.
However, the results of the investigations carried out by British physicians