Document 5NDk89G2qm5q7vja1OEZdJ6e

September 24, 1973 11s. J.'ary C. Berber, Librarian Ferro Corporation Technical Cox,tor 7500 Last Pleasant Valley Load 2. uepenuonce, Ohio 44131 Lear .Ms. Berger: I response to your letter ci Sop tester xb, jlL`73, I must ice you know, first oi aii, m a t I aw no longer tr.e Lirect.or ox Kettering Laboratory, saving retired several years ago. The present director is iuxymouu h. Snsuinu, 1?.L. 7 still woii at tno Laboratory, x.owevcr, ux.<i I ..uve cone my test to seen an answer to your request ior reixorts uf reprints wnic.. tea., witn t.,e observation o members of the staff, on the extraction of ieuu i'row glazed ceramic surfaces. I was unable to find but one report (which I am enclosing) ixx our library, and 1 a:u constrained to believe that tuese were private reports v/nica wore not published, because of their Inch ox suitable or significant iniormation. I snail tell you, however, somethixig of the significance of the work cone fix the laboratory at ray request, on this natter. I'm afraid I can accept no responsibility for anything else v/hicn has neon tun, ana 1 believe tnat whatever v;as cone, provided little additional useiul information. The problem of the lead in the glazes on ceramic ware lies in the fact that tue manufacturer has not always submitted the article in question to a sufficiently high temperature to convert all of the lean (in the presence of ample quantities of silicate) to the silicate. Tnis is likely to be the case in the production of "mat" iinisnes on pottery - a type of glaze which is preferred often by artists. Unaer these circumstances, the glaze goes partially into solution in acidic foods and salad dressings, and s u c h ceramic ware used with sufficient frequency in the household aas induced cases of lead poisoning among these w h o use such ware. Ic is a very simple matter to glaze pottery in such a maimer . as tv Jvo,x this situation, ana industrial technology is adequate generally to accomplish this purpose. The main trouble is that 'art ' pottery may be fabricated by artists without the benefit of sound technologic knowledge, advice, and supervision, plus the fact that some manufacturers, it seems, have no (or inadequate) xnowledge or concern about '.natters of public health. Cordially yours, RAK:wb Robert a . Kehoe, M.D. Professor Emeritus of Occupational Medicine