ALUMINIUM `THERAPY' DUST SAMPLER

Former Kalgoorlie Mining Associates property. a. Stainless steel measuring gauge with plunger handle, footcandles gauge, electrically charged. Box of clean filter papers made in England by W.R. Balston Ltd. Number of used filter papers showing date of use and gold mine name. All in wooden box with carry handle, brass plated corners and two clip fastenings on front. b. As a., but with no used filters included. Letter from Mr Wood, Dept. of Mines; "This instrument is commonly known as an Aluminium "Therapy" Dust Sampler. It was used in all gold mines in Western Australia as part of the Aluminium "Therapy" process. Its purpose was to measure the amount of aluminium dust in the treatment rooms to ensure correct levels were maintained. Aluminium "Therapy" was introduced into Western Australia in 1950 under license from the McIntyre REsearch Foundation of Canada. It consisted of miners inhaling powdered aluminium and alumina (Al2 O3) applied in specially modified changerooms. The "Therapy" was intended primarily for the prophylaxis (prevention) rather than therapy (treatment) of silicosis. Inhaling aluminium powder was thought to have a two fold effect: one, it would prevent pneumoconiosis; two, the effects of pneumoconiosis would be lessened if already contracted. According to Howard C. Hartman ("Mine ventilation and air conditioning", 1961) the action was "... a combined chemical physical one, with the aluminium forming a complex, inactive silicate with silica dust particles in the lungs or perhaps coating each particle with an inert layer of aluminium oxide". Aluminium "Therapy" was made available, on a voluntary basis, to all miners, however, by the end of the 1960s the practice had waned. Its demise resulted from apathy on the part of miners and mining companies and the belief that the best preventative measure against silicosis was to have stricter monitoring of dust levels within the mines. See H89.902 a-d; 4 tins of aluminium powder used in this treatment.

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