!!!Zündhölzer

Matches: The production of matches consisting of a short, slender 
piece of wood tipped with an igniting mixture containing toxic yellow 
phosphorus started in the early 1830s. In Vienna, S. von Roemer 
(1788-1842) started the production of matches in 1832. The yellow 
phosphorus not only caused numerous explosions in factories but was 
also the main cause of a serious occupational disease, phosphonecrosis 
or "phossy jaw". A.  Schroetter von Kristelli discovered the 
non-toxic red phosphorus in 1847 but it was not until 1912 that yellow 
phosphorus was prohibited. The main production sites were in 
Deutschlandsberg and Stainz ("Pojatzi"), Graz, Klagenfurt 
("Sirius" from 1920 onwards), St. Poelten (1921-1925 
"Orion"), Hallwang near Salzburg, Vienna 
("Pollack") and Linz ("Union"). All important 
factories were merged in the "Solo. Zuendwaren- und 
Wichsefabriken AG" in 1903. Deutschlandsberg, the last Austrian 
match factory, discontinued production in 1982.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Zündhölzer|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]