Document 8Vnv14qeq25Dr392oOy1Q38qe

Tiie s c n a io ie company* w ariem onx, ` Ohio.;.: .S : ... %v ,0 a; p h y s ic a l a p p r a is a l OF FURNAC Ci-iARGiSR tfiuxsu co. COOK ST FOUNDRY (Supplement to Reports of December 1, 1952, ana February 2^?1953 From the Kettering Laboratory in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Industrial Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio tfg 0018562 KJSPORT ON PHYSICAL .*.??HAi5AL OF FUdlsACH' CAArKrlSR, o OI-Aj . 'u .P-Ai (Supplement to Hsports of Lecember X, 1952, and robruary 2, 1953) Hr. tSU was scat to the Kettering 'Labora tor,/ for examination on December 22, 1952 .<$ the bchaiole Company on our recommendation. because of the history of repeated attacks of "Frass chills" and tno finding of elovatad lead levels in the blood on ii'ovomher 14* 1952. A thorough medical history of the acute episodes was consis tent with Mbrass chills" or Metal fume fever, and was not. sugges tive of clinical lead poisoning. On physical examination there was no objective evidence of load poisoning at that time. Labora tory examination, however, supported the previous findings of a hazardous degree of load absorption, and further indicated that the response of the body to this accumulation of load was approach ing a critical state* Symptoms of frank load poisoning might havo been expected as pointed out in our report of December 1, should load exposure continue unabated. Laboratory record sheet is attached. On the basis of these findings, it was reoorsvjdnbad verbally to Messrs. Veddendorf and Llrts on December 23 thr.fc tb-.iq man be removed from his job as furnace charger and reassigned to work in a lead-free area of the plant until such time as further examination would indicate that ho had excreted a substantial amount of, the lead then in his system. On re-examination on February 11, 1953* it was found that the blood lead level had decreased slightly, while the urine lead level had increased. This suggests that the lead in the KE* 001S563 2 man* s system is being excreted as expected.. The levels are still in the dangerous range, however. While there were no physical signs of clinical lead intoxication, there was now a moderate degree of anemia which was not present at the time of the previous examination. This is consistent with the bodily effect of dangerous amounts of lead. This evidence of incipient lead poisoning is further supported by the observation of a tremendously increased level of coproporphyrin in the urine, one of the highest levels that has been encountered in this Laboratory. Laboratory record sheet is attached. Lewis reports that he had suffered approximately eight acute episodes of "brass chills'1, or metal fume fever, during the interval between examinations. The most recent had occurred on February 10, the evening before the last examination. While he has faithfully worn the recommended respirator while on trie job, it has not been whol ly. effective in eliminating fume exposure. Total protection cannot be expected of this type of device, particularly in regard to the prevention of brass chills. However, the observed arrest of lead accumulation can be attributed to the use of the respirator. This seeming paradox is due to the fact that a strict quantitative relationship exists in the case of lead dust and fume, between the amount inhaled and the amount accumulated in the body. As you have undoubtedly observed, no such quantitative relationship exists in the case of zinc inhalation and brass chills. It is quite probable that Lewis can inhale enough zinc fume in five minutes, while he may remove the respirator for a short break, to give rise to an acute attack of brass chills. During the same short period, he would not be likely to absorb a significant amount of lead. 0018564 Prom those observations on a single workman, it may ha stated that the basic problem of air contamination in tho furnace room has not been- solved, fhe individual hooding of the melting furnaces is still considered to bo necessary to eliminate the source of the contamination. Prom the Kettering Laboratory in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Industrial Health, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio Report by: James ?. Hughes, K,D, Date: February 16, lv$3 Approved: _______________ _________ libbort A, Kohoo, M.D. Director KZ 0018565