Document 0q2YqbKeYLOVvbMzGZjBL1OvV

ETHYL CORPORATION Ma n u f a c t u r i n g a n d T r a f f i c De p a r t m e n t PLEASE ADDRESS REPLY TO CHRYSLER BUILDING 4 0 6 LEXIN GTO N AVE.,NEW Y O RK 17, N-Y. February 16, 19^5 UEDCCdorinen.linlcveRieg&n.rensBAiaot.etyftihK, MoeeOshfedohdCeaiiociAninTceeinnuneaati Dear Dr. Kehoe: taconodnhcmiemren.tiondgaythReaengdlaerahddeingsisitoumuarotsirtoencaennaxnitoduexMscrht.oanWggoeertmotsfoergc' oes rthrveeiserpwowsn,idtehInycspeoouke wonheynotuhri sn e xi stWtteor impbiegt,hotp, Neterhwh ea Ypr esofrowkreea n,c adnp li aaf nr ryatonoug ewd iisalcluluslnescththmeoiesnkndsouawbtej e . c t Very tru ly yours, 3-2 January 29# 19^5 M r . J . H . Schaefer, Ethyl Corporation, Chrysler Building, Hew York City 17, Dear John: I am returning to you herewith your file of correspondence with Felix Vormser of Lead Industries Association, together with various other materials which he supplied to you. I am not sure that you wanted all of this hack, hut since I had it all pinned together, I am returning it. If you do not want to keep the letter to members and the preliminary r*eport on the "Time" article, I should he glad to have them in my file, hut this is not of very much consequence, since I have discussed this whole subject with Mr*. Vormser. As you know from our little talk about this previously I am in complete sympathy with your letter of June 27. In addition I cannot fail to he somewhat critical of the comments of Mr. Vormser on various phases of the subject of lead poisoning in children. Vhatever he may wish to think about this matter, lead poisoning in children is all too frequent. Vhen it occurs, it is usually a very serious disease, and for this reason the warnings given to the public through various avenues are likely to he useful, and therefore should not he unduly criticized, even if they do contain some misinformation. Mr-. Vormser takes the position that since reliable manufacturers do not supply play pens and the like that have been painted with lead paint, that all this is a tempest in a tea pot. In this, he is mistaken, for I can show him the records of a number of cases that are fully authenticated even to his satisfaction. Some, but not all of these have been the result of eating paint. I He is also much too much convinced that he has proved the case against the X-Ray diagnosis in children. He has found some bad examples of medical thinking and of medical publications on this subject. There seems little doubt that lead in and of itself in the bones will not produce a shadow. On the other hand, a shadow is produced in several abnormal states in the growth of the bones in children, and the evidence is nevertheless strongly suggestive that the absorption of lead brings about certain metabolic changes in the bones of children that produce a line or Bhadow that is demonstrable by X-Ray. Vhether this is actually the result of lead in the tissues or vhether it is change indirectly due to the presence of lead in the tissues, is a matter of no consequence. Additional experimental work will Mr. J. H. Schaefer - (2) - January 29, 1945 have to be done to prove or disprove the position nov taken by a number of physicians and radiologists. However, there is no reason in getting exited about this and attacking the doctors for the benefit of the lead industry. I am quite sure that a number of mistaken diagnoses have been made. I am also quite sure that the effects of the absorption of lead are given undue weight in the consideration of a rather large number of minor and major illnesses. However, it will not be possible for any special pleader to offset the presumable disadvantages of these viewpoints. This can only be done by latodLous and veil planned experimental work. Actually we are planning some work along this line in collaboration with some of our colleagues in the Children's Hospital here. It would be quite impossible for us to do anything significant until the war and its special pressure have come to an e n d . the As to the discussion of this subject vithir/Board of the Lead Industries Association, I again reaffirm my willingness to be of any assistance that I can if the opportunity affords itself. I think, however, I should warn you and the Board that it would be a mistake for Mr. Wormser to publish material and information of the type that is outlined in his preliminary report. It is possible to pick numerous flaws both In his facts and in his reasoning. He is not aware of it, but he does not know enough about the basic Information on this subject to discuss it criti cally and adequately. I say this without being unduly critical, for I like him, and he Is a pretty competent fellow. However, there is much more in this matter than he has any knowledge of. For example, he tends to refer critically to the observations made by the men in the Health Department of the City of Baltimore. I happen to know these men and their methods of working. The methods are good and the results obtained have been sound. They have demonstrated clearly that a rather surprising number of youngsters in the city of Baltimore have had significant and dangerous exposure to lead in their environment. Unfortunately for Wormser's thesis, comparable results have been obtained in almost every other area of the United States where there have been facilities that enable accurate Investigation of thi3 type to be made Sincerely yours, KAK ef Enc. Robert A. Kehoe, M. D. 03469 ETHYL CORPORATION ^'VNUKACTURING AND TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT V (j if PLEASE ADDRESS REPLY TO CHRYSLER BUILDING 4 0 8 U E X I N O T O N A V C ..N E W YO RK 17, N.Y. December 21, 1 9 ^ UEDCCdonrie,nlinlvceEieg&n.rensBAiaote.tyftiKh, MoeeOsfhedohdCaeioiicAninvceeinnuneasti Dear Dr, Kehoe: In the early part of this year I mentioned to you a discussion that had taken place in the Lead Industries Association concerning lead poisoning publicity. This vas mainly in reference to a confidential memorandum dated June 16, 19h-lf that I had received from Mr. Wormser, Secretary of the Association. .I replied to his memorandum under date of June 27, 19^ and sent you a copy of my reply. Meanwhile, I am now in receipt of a further inquiry on this subject dated December 8, 19^. fo r yEounrcloresaeddyhreerfeewreitnhc eis amndy ccoomnvpelnetieenfciel.e on t h i s su b je c t, mtDtihhniagaarttltetyecytS,rthooiewnuorsncoAweuwo,olsdfuhsaloidaLcschpeiycapaodIatriureoemIcnnpiutadrsootituesbstgataadibrkvnoileeeyyinsmagksoAdnemotv.shweisec,oercepIiasraonaptmdipooennforusn, itrhbttIhhiinlefeigetryBeaclootnaomdirdt,mmeaoiansckftcesoasrdure purpoPslee.ase re tu rn th e a tta c h e d f i l e when i t has served your Very tru ly yours, 3-2 03470 ILcGdticill ituiidluji^itipia^^ -4-20 LEXINGTON ^ E N U E CL IN T O N H. CRANE. F*K*tOENT F. H. B R O W N E L L . VICK PRESIDENT F . W . R O C K W E L L , VICK PRESIDENT FELIX EOGAR W O RM SER. secretary ami TREASURKR x i:\v v o k i v / x ."V. November 7, 1945 Dr. Robert A. Kehoe University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Bob: I have received further word from Australia which indicates that the current lead hysteria, if I may term it that, promises to spread to prohibition of the use of a great many lead products, including, strangely enough, cable sheathing, ana that the agitation centers around Dr. Kye. I presume he is the Dr. Kye who is the author of "Chronic Nephritis and Lead Poisoning" pub lished in 1933- After leaving you in Pittsburgh I made it a point to review the file of literature I had in this office on the subject. Much of it I find I received from you, particularly reprints of some of the earlier work on the subject. On rereading N.ye's report and also the Government publication, "Plumbism and Chronic Nephritis in Young People in Queensland" I am becoming increasingly convinced that no case at all has. been made for tying in chronic nephritis with lead poisoning in children. I was also happy to note that your own Committee on Lead Poison ing of the American Public Health Association apparently recognized the invalidity of N y e 's conclusions, by making the statement: ".....even in the case of children the production of chronic nephritis, per haps better described as diffusely scarred kidneys, cannot certainly be attributed to the effects of an episode or multiple epi sodes of lead poisoning. The facts in these matters must await further careful clinical investigation." My criticism of N y e 's work and the Govern ment's vojrk is that they do not prove lead poisoning in the children in the first place. They do not prove ex posure and they do not prove the presence of lead poison ing through the alleged exposure:' At least, I can not L'I* .vtl1x0 C ," oA- November 2 7 1945 find any evidence in Kye's book, or the subsequent Govern ment v.*ork, that accounted for the great number of cases described in Queensland. To be sure, some of the cases 'undoubtedly were authentic lead poisoning, as indicated in later and more thorough Government work, but Nye depen ded almost entirely, it seems to me, on mere professicnal prounouncements that the chronic nephritis subjects ap parently had lead poisoning years before they were seen by Nye. No proof of lead poisoning is given in infancy. irVhat sort of scientific v/ork is that? Apparently the Dr. Fairley you mentioned to me in Pittsburgh examined some of the work of Nye and others and reported on it in the Medical Journal of Australia of May 5, 19?4. In fact, I have Dr. Fairley's report, because of your kindness in letting me have the original reference. Frankly speaking, I think that Dr. Fairley's study has the same defect as that of its predecessors. Rather than to go into a detailed discussion of my criticisms I merely wish at this time to suggest that if you do have any means of procuring further information from Australia I hope you will try to do so as I gather the situation is serious in Australia and if carried to its con clusion is bound to have unfortunate repercussions in the United States. With kindest regards, Sincerely yours, uy. Secretary. from J. H. SC------------ January 28, 1946 Dr. Kehoe's Secretary wdhcoaaewnynnst I,oatwwcnaainoyl rl mgf oyeaortlul yianprIrleeteoaaTsucsitnhce,dhehacrwinsamdtilatlnhiidnmf.heitttmhhhaenai sddt nillDreeeexrtct.tttemfKl eyreew.hkoneow Wattoht iilshDliemyheoa.puswbapteleeeransoenchtAachonemmgemed1eu4ttnitonhicgaotthwefeatFshfeotiboslrluobiawnerfiyonh,rgemblwduatteieokn.^ Please advise. 16^ 1 03473