Document 702DBbbLO8KDm7zq0Ypky5rM8

March 29, 1938 Mr, L. H, W iggsrs M anager, Insurance and R eal E sta te D ept, The P r o c te r and Gamble Company C in c in n a ti, Ohio D ear Mr* W ig g e r s j- Having gone o v e r t h ^ J ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ w h ich you l e f t w i t h me on th e c a s e o f I f i n d t h a t a number o f q u e s t io n s r a i s e s in my l e t t e r o f J a n u a ry 1 3 th t o Mr* C, W, S a g e h o rn h av e n o t b e en answ ered a d e q u a te ly . The m ed ical re c o rd , e s p e c ia lly , is la c k in g In c e rta in e s s e n tia l Item s of in fo rm a tio n . On th e o t h e r h an d th e a d d i t i o n a l f a c t s now a v a i l a b l e to me, s tre n g th e rL th ^ ^ a s e of the c la im a n t q u ite m aterially* d ev elo p ed some ty p e o f I n to x i cation w ith! tw enty-four hours a fte r the exposure o c c a s io n e d b y th e f i r e . He had p a in in th e c h e s t and a cough on th e day a f t e r h i s a lle g e d i n j u r y , and on th e f o llo w in g day h e h a d '.h e a d a c h e , n a u s e a , v o m itin g , ab d o m in al p a in , headache. This c o n d itio n p ro g ressed and term in ated f a ta lly in about ten days, w ith the c lin ic a l evidences of an acute to x ic n e p h r itis , and a te rm in a l pulmonary edema. The n e p h r itis may have been o f the in f e c tio u s ty p e , b u t such c lin ic a l d a ta as are given suggest th a t the condition was to x ic r t h e r th an in f e c tio u s * The n a u s e a , v o m itin g , abdom inal pain and the jau n d ice (te rm in a lly ) su g g est th e occurrence of liv e r damage, and the te rm in a l pulmonary edema su g g e st damage to the h e a r t m uscle A ll of th is p ic tu re Is com patible w ith the e ffe c ts of the in h a la tio n of r e la tiv e ly high co n cen tratio n s of carbon te tra c h lo rid e and i t would, ta k e much b e t t e r e v id e n c e th a n I s a v a ila b le to d isp ro v e th a t d ia g n o s is , Ther is l i t t l e o r no in d i c a tio n th a t dangerously h ig h co n cen tratio n s of phosgene or o f h y d ro c h lo ric a c id were p re s e n t, b u t th e re is reaso n to b e lie v e t h a t t h i s man may h av e In h a le d f a i r l y h ig h cotcen- tra tlo n s of c a rb o n -te tra c h lo rid s over a p erio d of tw enty- f i v e t o t h i r t y m in u t e s . He may h a v e w orked so c l o s e t o th e m o to r a s to b r e a t h e high** c o n c e n t r a t i o n s of th e v a p o r , and f o r a lo n g er p e rio d o f tim e th an did the o th e r menf or he may have done somewhat h e a v i e r work and th u s may have b re a th e d more d e e p ly , I , e . a g r e a te r volume of th e v a p o r, th a n th e o th e rs } o r h e may have b e en l e s s r e s i s t a n t to th e v a p o r, by rea so n of p rev io u s damage (alc o h & lle o r O therw ise) to h is liv e r , kidneys and c irc u la to ry system . In any case the sto ry of the in c id e n t does not ju s tify the conclusion th a t s ig n ific a n t exposure to carbon te tra c h lo rid e did not o ccu r, w hile the onset and cours of the i ll n e s s , in the 2- absence of s a tis fa c to ry inform ation to the c o n tra ry , ju s tif y the b e lie f in a cause and e ff e c t re la tio n s h ip betw een th e su sp ected exposure and de& th. In c id e n ta lly i f h a lf a g a llo n of c a rb o n -te tra c h lo rid e were evaporated a t one tim e and ev en ly d i s t r ib u t e d in to a room of th e s iz e d e s c rib e d . th e c o n c e n tra tio n in a l l p a rts - c f th e room would a p p ro x im a te 0 . 1%* Ho d o u b t th e c o n c e n t r a t i o n was c o n sid e ra b ly higher, than th is in th e im m ediate v ic in ity of the m otor, and sin c e the vapor of c a rb o n -te tra c h lo rid e i s h e a v y , i t would rem ain n e a r th e f l o o r l e v e l f o r some tim e u n le s s i t were sw ep t away by a b reeze* The d e g re e of v e n tila tio n la w holly c o n je c tu ra l, and the ev aporation on a h o t s u r f a c e was d o u b t le s s r a p id * Thus i t i s q u i te probable th a t dangerously high co n cen tratio n s e x iste d f o r a tim e i n th e v i c i n i t y o f th e m otor* On th e w h o le , th e r e f o r e , 1 conclude th a t i t would be d i f f i c u l t , i f n o t im p o ssib le , to combat the claim of d eath from a c c i d e n ta l c a u se , w ith the in fo rm a tio n a v a ila b le in th is case I,re tu rn your f ile herew ith. Very tru ly y o u rs,- RAKjia R o b e r t' A* K ehoe, Iv.I). KE 0016846