Document 3emyJBaVDG5a5L9N56bLQQwME

July 27, 1973 MEMORANDUM TO: Dr. Jerome F. Cole International Lead Zinc Research Organization SUBJECT: Science News Article Attached is another article from Science News that discusses the issue of lead and health. It would appear to me that this is deserving of an answer. A proposed text of a reply is attached. Perhaps there are problems with the cadmium information in the article that also deserve attention. Since I have little information on this I'll leave this to your judgment. JDC:sdd Enclosures cc: P. Robinson J. Smith C. Thompson James D. Callaghan LIA-76457 Draft -- 7/27/73 Letter to the Editor Mr. Kendrick Frazier There is no scientific support for the statements that the amount of lead in the air from auto exhausts poses a threat to the public that were carried in the article on the work of Dr. Henry Schroeder in the July 21 issue of Science News. Irdtaat, there are a number of errors in the article which should be pointed out lest your readers feel they are being exposed to a significant hazard. Reference is made to Dr. Schroeder's studies which purport to show that ingested lead causes a shortening of the life span and heart disease. Schroeder himself has admitted to several errors in these studies. First, the rats were fed a lead dosage that is 259 times more than a human would normally ingest. Second, the rats studied suffered from a deficiency of the essential trace element chromium. There are other problems with the study, but these two should suffice to indicate that Dr. Schroeder's conclusions cannot be considered scientifically valid. There is jicusomid evidence that the -amount Of lead omUtggkrn- automobile exhausts pQ.<?g..a^health risk tn the general pnbrfasv The recently completed Seven Cities Study, which was sponsored in part by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, shows no relationship between blood-lead levels and the amount of lead in the air. 2, 000 individuals were tested in this study. As an indication of the findings, it was shown that residents of Los Angeles, which has a relatively LIA-76458 N 807.01 2- high air-lead level, had smaller amounts of lead in their blood than residents of Philadelphia, where air-lead levels are significantly lower. The problem of lead poisoning in this country is mainly caused by children living in dilapidated, rundown housing eating chips and flakes of the old leaded paints which have not been used for interior painting since the 1940's < The Lead Industries Association has actively participated in numerous programs aimed at combatting this problem and continues to do so. There is no sound basis for the statement that lead in the air is adding to the incidence of childhood lead poisoning. Finally, the statement that "over a fourth of all American children have levels of lead in their bodies that border on toxicity" is totally without foundation. We know of no EPA report that makes this fantastic claim. The subject of airborne lead is one that is deserving of continual monitoring and study but articles such as this do little to help establish the rational perspective necessary to the formulation of sound judgments on scientific matters. Sincerely, Dr. Jerome F. Cole LIj\-76459 t Trace Pollutants: The Hidden Villains -' lfrTiiiinitlnif fi- r r ' ** v-^ GERM1NATOR AND PLANT GROWER Per fect visual aid for home, classroom, research. Complete visibility. Seeds arc dropped onto pad kept wet by wick in water. U docs the rest. Roots are seen coming out of seeds and grow ing downward into water. Tray lifts out entire plant for transplanting, etc. Add plant food for nutritional studies. 7 inches high. Biologically inert. Reusable. Sample, with seeds and instruc tions $3. ppd: 10 for S15, 25 for S30. 60 for S60. Info free. NTSCo., Dept. 853C, 3435 110th St., Inglewood, CA 90303 Circle No. 131 on Reader Service Card v\ / WRITE TODAY 'o find out how you con ft' cent o different, interesting mineral tpeci- men each month. Detailed "come olive" fact heet included. Fascinating hobby tor all ages. Start your own collection right now! FREE Natural Ruby Cryslol wiih eoch membershripp. MINERAL OF ThHE MONTH CLUJB 487 218 YUCAIPA. CA 92399 v ' Circle No. 129 on Reader Service Card Our 21st year of service to the world's finest craftsmen and technicians- a am am cm txm Send a FREE copy of the NC Flasher Circle No. 130 on Reader Service Card After 30 years of study, a pioneer scientist is convinced that cadmium and lead are the biggest threats to the public by Joan Arehart-Treichel Not far from the lush Green Moun life-long exposure to relatively large tains of Vermont, a white-haired, traces of chromium and vanadium did ruddy-cheeked scientist works quietlnyot hurt his animals; in contrast, these on a challenge that has obsessed him elements extended their lives and low for 30 years. The challenge is deter ered the cholesterol in their blood. mining which elements, in trace Of all the elements Schroeder has amounts, have potential for hurting tested, the light metal beryllium is the people. Henry A. Schroeder, professor most toxic. When asked why, he re of physiology emeritus of Dartmouth plies, "It is the nature of the beast. Medical School, is nnpqnivnrnhly thp I don't know." A worker who gets nation's authority on the subject. traces of beryllium in his lungs de Schroeder is headquartered in Brattle- velops lung inflammation. Beryllium boro, Vt., where he and his staff operate is known to have caused cancer in a trace-clement laboratory. During the some persons. But Schroeder is not past several decades Schroeder has ex worried about beryllium hurting the posed rnts and mice to traces of various general population because it is not a elements throughout their lifetime. The widespread pollutant. The only people animals get trace elements with their who might be hurt by trace pollutants food rather than by injection, so that of beryllium are workers in the beryl their trace-clement intake more closely lium and coal industries and at Cape approximates human intake. Although Kennedy, Fla., where beryllium escapes the animals ingest trace elements in from rocket fuels. somewhat larger quantities than those Traces of antimony caused heart people absorb by eating or breathing, attacks in many of Schroeder's animals, Schroeder still believes that his results but he docs not think trace pollutants shed light on the human situation. of this element threaten the general Before deciding whether a trace ele public. But typesetters, who are ex ment might hurt people, though, he posed to fumes of antimony, have an considers not only the results of his unusually high incidence of heart at animal tests but how prevalent a trace tacks. clement is in the environment--both Schroeder has preliminary evidence naturally and as a result of human that traces of tungsten and barium, pollution. A trace element that hurts both heavy metals, reduce the life ex experimental animals may or may not pectancy of his animals. Yet he does be widespread in air, food and water. not believe that trace pollutants of After studying over half of all the tungsten, largely from steel industries, elements, Schroeder is convinced that hurt the public. Nor does he consider the greater an element's natural abund barium a threat to the public, because ance on earth, generally the less toxic barium is naturally present in the en it is in trace amounts. In fact, the more vironment in large amounts and barium abundant elements arc usually bene workers have not suffered any serious ficial to animals and people at trace health problems. levels. Such elements include copper, Schroeder has obtained no ill effects cobalt, molybdenum, manganese, va in his animals by using several forms nadium. So even if these elements arc of mercury, including methyl mercury. even more prevalent in the environ He concludes that mercury may be ment as a result of pollution, they arc dangerous to people in large amounts, probably not hurting people and may but not in trace amounts, and the even help them. Schroeder found that hoopla about mercury pollutants is 44 science news, vol. 104 LIA-76460 N 807.02 GRAPHIC VISUAL CONTROL t V Schroeder: "Cadmium and lead are harming people right now." largely "a myth." Other scientists, how ever, have obtained evidence to the contrary (sec p. 34). Nickel did not hurt Schroeder's ani mals. In fact, other investigators have evidence that nickel might help animals and people. But Schroeder worries about the effects of nickel carbonyl on the general population. This trace pol lutant escapes from incompletely burned fuel oil. Nickel carbonyl has caused lung cancer in some workers. The two trace elements Schroeder really worries about are lead and cad mium. These were his main concerns several years ago. They still are, par ticularly since other scientists have cor roborated his evidence on them. Says Schroeder, "Lead and cadmium are hurting people right now, not because they arc highly toxic, but because they are widespread trace pollutants." Lead shortened the life-span of Schroeder's animals and gave them heart disease. Studies by other investi gators have shown that people who live in cities have so much lead in their blood it inhibits important blood en zymes. Persons who live far from cities do not have this problem. Children are particularly susceptible to lead pol lutants, not just because they nibble on lead paint off tenanient house walls but because they arc heavily exposed to lead from automobile exhaust. Dan Darrow, one of Schroeder's co-workers, went around dropping lollipops on streets, park benches, rooftops and in other places. He found that lollipops dropped on or close to the ground picked up more trace pollutants of lead than did lollipops dropped farther from the ground. A few months ago the Environmental Protection Agency reported that over a fourth of all Amer ican children have levels of lead in their bodies that border on toxicity. Cadmium shortened the life of Schroedcr's animals, gave them high blood pressure and impaired some of their enzymes. There is evidence that trace pollutants of cadmium might cause, or at least enhance, high blood pressure in people. The Japanese have higher levels of cadmium in their en vironment than Americans do. They also have more cadmium in their blood. The leading cause of death in Japan is from cerebral hemorrhage, which is due to high blood pressure. Evidence culled from throughout the world suggests cadmium pollutants are widespread in air, water and food. As Schroeder has brought the effects of trace elements on humans into ever- clcarer perspective, and other research ers have further documented his find ings, his greatest wish is that society does something about those trace pol lutants that are hurting people. Yet only modest efforts have been made so far to reduce lead and cadmium. Lead in gasoline is a prime source of lead pollution. Since 1971, the Environ mental Protection Administration of New York City has required a progres sive reduction of lead in gasoline. The requirement has worked to some de gree. But several oil companies have brought suits that are stalling further reductions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that after July 1974 at least one grade of lead- free gas must be available throughout the United States. Many automobiles, to meet the 1975 emission standards, will have to use lead-free gas. A few cadmium industries have re duced their cadmium emissions under pressure of Government suits. Schroe der was a witness at several of the suits. In one, an industry that makes lipstick covers was dumping so much cadmium into the Hudson River the cadmium was ending up in fish, plants and musk rats. Unfortunately the eea has not yet set any requirements for abating emis sions of cadmium. O You SEE How To Got Things Done With The BOARDMASTER System You see a Graphic Picture of your operations, spotlighted in color. You have facts at Eye Level. Saves time, cuts costs and prevents errors. Ideal for Production, Maintenance, Scheduling, Inventory, Sales, Traffic, Personnel and many other uses. Simple and flexible tool. You write or type on cards and post on board. All cards are interchangeable. Compact and Attractive. Made of Aluminum. Over 1,000,000 in use. 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