Poisonous Matches

Some inventions do not have good consequences. Early matches sent sparks in all directions. Sometimes, the family home went up in flames when a person used a match to light a smoking pipe or a stove.

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Early in the 19th century, when white phosphorous was first used in making match-heads, it did work to light matches, but it also created new problems. Workers in crowded, poorly ventilated, match-making factories inhaled the fumes. Those who grabbed their lunchtime sandwiches without washing their hands were at greatest risk. Fumes and particles of white phosphorous lodged in their teeth and slowly entered t