Document 1g8GRO89XozmDaGK3JDE5QvJq

L January 11, 1961 Mr. I . Matelsky general Electric Company Lamp Division Nela Park Cleveland 12, Ohio <s Dear Mr. Matelsky: I have just gone over the results obtained in the experimental examination of the fate of your lamp coating material when administered by mouth to an experimental subject. As X anticipated,the material passes through the alimentary tract with so little loss of absorbed lead (absorbed in the alimentary tract during passage), as to be detectable only in the form of a very minute and temporary elevation of the rate of the urinary lead output. Indeed the increase here may be purely incidental or fortuitous, for it is certainly too small to have any physio logical significance, and it may be statistically insignificant. In any case the data are in the hands of Dr, Sterling for statis tical examination and we shall see what, if anything, he can make of them. They are so simple and so definite in their meaning, however, that I have little doubt as to his conclusions. There is only one detail that is ambiguous (or might be if'we had had less experience with this type of situation), namely, that the output of lead from the body during the experimental period (accord ing to present data and calculations) was greater, by slightly more than 50 milligrams, than the apparent intake. This difference is much too great to be valid, and, therefore, we recognize the existence of an error. Mr. Choiak (Chief of the analytical group) believes that our analyses of the plastic coating yielded low results and that, therefore, the estimated dosage per day is in error. He is repeating these analyses after introducing a slight modification of the method of preparing the plastic material for analysis. When he has satisfied himself on this score the job will have been completed and the report will be prepared in final form. This will take only a few days. I would anticipate that the report will be in your hands within two weeks. Meanwhile 1 am pleased to assure you that the experimental evidence is exactly as I expected it to be. You heed have no fear of the commercial exploitation of this product in the manner anticipated, either from the aspect of any actual risk or from any allegations that might be made in relation to the absorption of lead. That is^you will be able to combat any such claim with irrefutable evidence to the contrary. Q0C3940 Cordially yours,