Document 0JYD6YXo06bqOnEa2xDq98zmx
fco Dr. Graham Edgar
May lO, m k
Dr* diaries W* Stephenson
-179 Aliya Street
Hartford* Conn*
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Dear Or*' Stephensont
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Your letter addressed to the Bthyl Gasoline Corporation has been referred to me for reply"* The Inhalation of load-containing gasolines has not been associated with the occurrence of lead poisoning among gasoline handlers * In fact there, hare been no oases of poisoning reported anywhere 'as a consequence of. exposure to'leaded.-.gasoline* either'by'-inhalation or as a result of- skin- contact* X and. my associates in this laboratory have studied this problem over a period of years* aitd l'am sending you a reprint of an article which recently..appeared in the Journal of . Industrial; hygiene which will give you the detailed uidenc obtained In our studies*.v
On fch other hand, there is a -possibility .
that men who hau been exposed in large tanks which
have contained leaded g&sol ice- may absorb appreciable
amounts of lead* .The situation her Is as follows!
the lead compound In the gasoline may decompose and
deposit crystalline lead coripoimds ;in the rust'on
the side of the tank# "The presence of these small
amounts of lead is not dangerous unless they are
scraped loose with the scale from the tank and aus
pended in the air In.the form of a dry dust* Cons
quanfcly when such tanks are cleaned* adequate safety
can be provided against, the load dust either by means
of keeping the sides and bottom of the tanktet* or
by ths use of a suitable mask* 1
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If your patient was not engaged in cleaning
tanks* and If he was not exposed In any fashion to
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suspended material of this sort* then it seems quite
Certain that be M s had no appreciable 3sg>osure to lead*
'" '.and that his condition Is not due to lead absorption*
As you are doubtless.aware* undue exposure to gasoline
fumes results in intoxication to the point of unconscious
ness and death unless the subject is removed from exposure.
Generally speaking* in my experience* persons who have been
so overcome recover quickly from their exposure# However#
Occasionally an Individual develops some degree of permanent
Injury to the nervous system. It Is possible that you are
dealing here with such a case#
P^Pl:*& WtS/\P*: '
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ISt** Charles W. Stephenson
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-In the matter of laboratory evidence, it Is not my experience that persons who develop acute lead encephalopathy fail to show definite evidences of in creased lead in their excreta* In fact in all of the instances which have come to my notice short exposures to lead compounds of sufficient severity to produce mental symptoms are associated with a very pronounced increase in the lead excretion of both the faeces.and urine* In such a situation as you describe I should regard the failure to find increased lead as adequate evidence that lead was not responsible for his illness, provided the analyses were made by reliable methods*; ;
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I should be very much interested In having any further details which are available as to the
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character of your patient's exposure, as to the time
of onset of his symptoms and such other details as will enable me to determine whether he had a significant
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lead intoxication as a result of inhalation of the type
of lead compounds which may be found inside of the Ethyl Gasoline storage if I can be of any assistance to you
in the scale on the ^
tanks* Moreover,
..
in making determinations
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to the extent of your patient's lead excretion, I should
be glad to do so*
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Very truly yotirs,
Robert A "'Keho'e, M D .
R 0017197
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