Document 4QrJonxVBedxDdL7kD2jn7q6x

tJNIOS CASBEDE ASB CAKBQH CORPORATISM 30 East Eorty-gecond Street lies- York 17, if# Y. Uay 1% 19& Ur, Mmired Besditch Lead Industries Association is.20 Lexington Avenue Ns icrk 17, ifa York By dear Manfred* Yours of bay sixteenth .received enclosing a copy of tho letter from Brian Taylor of `Sie Broken hill Associated Bseltors Proprietary Limited* This X read with considerable interest# I ssuni cor,fonts that I am completely at a loss to understand way the Australian federation of Orgcrsiaattcns of the iXLind is seeking to prevent the manufacture of paint with more than *> par cent soluble load content on the basis that paint containing sore than this percentage oi lead could cause total blindness, etc. X followed the lead situation quite closely for some decades and for nany years was actively engaged in jtudiecl i.oyk rith lead handling in dustries* Assuredly, optic neuritis or blindness due to lead excorures is very rare. v;hcia 'these conditions do occur it is usually in the case of children or wesson sad involves a massive exposure to Yvad. Is far as T can recall, such conditions have never coae up in eouneation with tho use of lend paints, excepting possibly in some rare instances where children may- have ingested large quantities of lead containing paint. I cannot under stand how lead paint containing more than 5 per cent soluble lead in any of ita usual applications could cause total blindness, unless thin paint were liberally ingested, which is something I do not believe would be at all likely to occur* ' , I cannot understand how the suggested prohibition of the manufac ture of paint with more than 5 per cent of soluble lead content could have any appreciable effect whatsoever in prevention of blindness* Very truly yours, /s/ iirard Branch MEDICAL CONSULTANT A. 0. Granch, M. D* rs tf/T 0014924