Document 4v7Xbd15qOkqjO2R4m7DDnE0Q

February X# 1933 Dr. Graham Edgar Ethyl G asoline Corporation Chrysler Building New York C ity New York Dear Doetor Edgars Pursuant to our co n v ersa tio n of l a s t Thursday* in D etro it* i am o u tlin in g th e v a r io u s p o in ts which seem important from the point o f view o f sa fety * In r e la tio n to th e proposed us o f t e t r a e t h y l le a d in lu b r ic a tin g o i l s . I have p r e v io u sly in d ic a te d to; you ray I n te r e s t in certa in , p h y sic a l mad t o x ic o lo g ic a l proper tie o f th m ixture o f o i l and t e t r a e t h y l lead* which must bo su b jected to experim ental exam ination* namely - ( 1) the r a te o f v a p o r isa tio n o f t e t r a e t h y l lea d from o i l a t v a r io u s . tem p era tu res} and* (.2) the e x te n t o f th e sk in absorption, o f t e t r a e t h y l load, when d ilu te d w ith lu b r ic a tin g o llg ( 3) the r a te o f decom position o f t e t r a e t h y l lo a d when m ixtures o f o i l and t e t r a e t h y l le a d a re su b je c te d to us in m otors. I have a lso raised the question o f the ultim ate d isp o sitio n o f such o i l as may be d isca rd ed a f t e r us. Regardless o f the answers to these, questions c e r ta in h y g ie n ic problems, arise in con n ection w ith the' p relim in a ry exp erim en tal work -which W akefield proposes to undertake* and a ls o in 't h e fu tu re prep aration o f a product fo r market* Any :stethod. o f hand lin g or. u sin g t e t r a e t h y l . le a d must d& in flu e n c e d by a knowledge o f i t s p h y s io lo g ic a l behavior* and f o r t h is reason 1 am a tta c h in g t o t h is l e t t e r two r e p r in ts which g iv e th e a v a ila b le f a c t s a s to the be h av io r o f t h is compound. P a r tic u la r a tte n tio n should b c a lle d to th ree f a c t a , - ( 1) th a t th e vapor p ressure o f - te tr a e th y l lead* a t ,ordinary tem peratures i s such* th a t a ir saturated at such temperatures contains approximately m illig ra m s o f len d per l i t e r s a co n ce n tra tio n o f t e t r a e t h y l le a d which cau ses the death of r a b b its a f t e r two hours o f continuous exposure} ( 2) th a t te tr a e th y l load i s absorbed d ir e c t ly through the unbroken sk in } { N) th a t when t e t r a e t h y l load Is absorbed Into the body at a rate which w ill not pro due immediate i l l n e s s * I t tends to accum ulate In the tis a n e s and to produce ch ron ic lea d p o iso n in g a f t e r the manner o f oth er load co pounds. Safety* ip any Instance* then* depends upon the avoidance o f in h a la tio n o f the vapors* and the p reven tion of akin contact with the liq u id . These are the considerations N20518 O P S S t O O -3M . 2- and the handling of the m aterial* P re c a u tio n s in. P re lim in a ry . E x p erim e n tal Work P resum ably u n d ilu te d t e t r a e t h y l load will be supplied in amounts- in spall ..outaip# for ad m ix tu re wJ ` ' of te a railt k1. for e x p e rim e n ta l tests in the bepds aioed personnel* The lead as supplied should be 3ho-ild be unbroken pack ag es to persons who Lble for its disposition in such a way ^at ' the hands of unauthorised, persona* All i set ." * ` **'* `""`t.^.'Seleeted, "3,'Blfca/tiieia img m -under m edicai su p erv isio n * have a p hysical should be fotr^thyl. load nay b e 'handled w ith complete safety in a properly co n stru eted and ventilated hood* if precautions a g a in s t skin c o n ta c t are observed* Simple measuring d ev ices* auch ms g la s s graduates aro moro suitable for a laboratory scalo of ftp 'er mor com plicated d e v ic e s which are difficult tp clean and repair* Sue ear should bo exercised agaiftst b rin g in g about th e xccsuro of H o n o r s, v/ash boys# janitors ofco* in p o m ifeting them to handle contam inated glass ware#, apparatus* to clteaa up spilled material etc. All la i oratory operations a--uuld -hj d ev ised with tbs maximal degree of simplicity and c le a n lin e s s and all open or contam inated co n ta in e rs ok apparatus should be kept in a hoodj until th ey have been aleap^d "or ftfehftrwlso disposed of* Exeepfe u sperim enta may p ro v e feo t h confcrary* ndxfcures, o f t e t f a e t h y l 1le a d and s i i houle! he han&led aa tbough tb ey conslafe o f pur t e t r a o t h y i ead*. Bxposvr to vaporai, and c o n ta c t o f t h e ab iti ah o n ld b avolded* I n tfe evenfc o f a o o d e n ta l o k ln c o n ta c t wi t!i e i t h e r fcetruefchyl |.ad o r a i u ta re . o f feho l a t t a r i n il, th- alci sh o u ld fc tlsoroiiglily e le a n s o d w lth Ui b u tta ti s o lv e n t* . k e ro se n e i s s a fe ls f a c to ry f o r t i i i s p u r pus* P re e a u tlo n e i n th e 'Shipm ent o f t e t r a e t h y l head,* Amounts o f t e t r a e t h y l le a d o f any q u a n tity must be tra n s p o r te d i n push a way th a t th e s a f e ty o f c a r r i e r s and handlers is reasonably assured* S p illag e In tra n s it is fraught w ith s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f i c u l t i e s * 'T herefore# p ackages m ust b p r e p a re d w i t h dtjt r e g a r d f o r s tr e n g th * av o id an ce o f le ak ag e * as o f 'd i s p o s i t i o n i n vent o f f i r e # a c c id e n t o r o th e r emer gency* Further# th e sin and c h a ra c te r o f the package* as w ell as. t h e s ta te , o f th e c o n te n ts - (i* e * w h eth er i n p u re form* o r mixed w ith o th e r in g re d ie n ts I m a t. be determ ined by th e means a v a ila b le fo r M ndll^g the m aterial a t the p o in t of delivery* I t m y be t h a t th e mu-ana e v e n tu a lly - d e v is e d f o r m ixing le a d 2*. > with, o i l w ill in c lu d e s u i t a b l e p r o v is io n s f o r th e h a n d lin g o f pur ts tr a th y i lo u d .w ith o u t %b p o s s i b i l i t y o f exposure to v apors# Or i t raay be a d v is a b le to I n c o r p o r a te tetra* e th y l. le a d in sqm ^ e d ltm wiileli w ill, o b v ia te d an g e r from i t s ya .-orination# In any event those .natters should be determ ined l a r e l a t i o n t o the. q u e s tio n o f rauaci^aX sa fe ty * P recautions in Blending T etraeth y l head w ith S a f e ty m easu res i n r e l a t i o n to th e rs-iroiiofis which may u l t i m a t e l y >-e ohosen f o r 1b le n d in g t e t r a e t h y l le a d and l u b r i c a t i n g o il can n o t be l a i d down, i n any d o ta .il I n p r in c ip le such . measures must provide fo r the lim ita tio n s of the p o te n tia l hazards to the sm allest possible' nm ber of persons and fo r the avoidance o f a c t u a l d an g e r fjhrmigfei, the u se o f siiap lo and e a s i l y o p e ra te d aq-ui resent The p e rso n s who c a r r y o u t t h i s woirtc sh o u ld b s e l e c t e d on th e b a s is o f p h y s ic a l f i t n e s s f, r e l i a b i l i t y and w illin g n e s s to . p a rry o u t th e d@t4.ils o f in s tr u c tio n s . They should be under m e d ic a l anpervieltfrip and; th e y sh o u ld b I n s t r u c t e d i n th e av o id a n c e o f exposvir* I'hpy sh o u ld h o t have o th e r o p p o r tu n iti e s f o r ex posure to le a d sq long ap th ey ere employed In th is w ork. In g e n e r a l th e o p e r a tio n off} b le n d in g qul;.-3Ti@nfc sh o u ld be guided by th e p r e c a u tio n s w hich hpjv p ro v e s t h e i r e f f e c t iv e n e s s in th e m iking, o f E th y l G asollnel* To tliJ s nd# th e g e n e ra l r u l e s arid r e g u la tio n s wh!oh 'a p p ly jto th e l a t t e r w ork n ay bo employed a s an example o f What shoulq be p ro v id ed .' Very truly yours EAKiIS He 0015548