Document 8gx5JdK9eOQa45GGBb38bDyB

,^uj Lead poisoning tester unveiled at Bell Labs ByTEK TALMONT MURRAY HILL -- Representatives from a dozen electronics, engineering and medical equipment companies had a ran opportunity on Friday -- free ac cess to the technical details (or assembling a new lead poisoning tester expected to be in great demand by public health officials and sane industries. Five scientists at Bell Ubs developed the portable testing device. N. Bruce Hannay, vice president of research and patents, said numerous Inquiries had been received since development of the invention was made public last January. Beil Labs officials decided that since the company did not plan to manufac ture the equipment, it would offer the design details to interested companies at no cost The design details were outlined at a special symposium here Friday. It was stressed the unit wu designed for use in screening possible lead poisoning esses, providing fast referral fa further testing of persons with high readings. In providing the information to potential manufacturers, company officials said they hoped the availability of the lead poisoning testers on the open market would be speeded, and that their eventual cost would reflect the fact that the design was provided free of any charge. The researchers responsible for developing the tester see It as an ef fective means of performing mass primary screenings. Because the unit is portable, it can be put to quick use in schools a urban neighborhood centers. Since it only takes one minute to get a lead content reeding, large numbers can be handled quickly, and at small coat. The researchers say readings on their "hematofluoromlter" parallel closely those obtained through the usual method of tatting a blood sample by spedtbsti in laboratories. The new test involves use of only e drop of blood and can be performed by a nurse a paramedic!. Another advantage cited by tba scientists is the fact that rudlngt reflect e ratio of lead content In blood cells, whereas the mat elaborate tasting requires measurement of the amount of lead. The quantity of lead then must be compared against the quantity of blood tasted to determine whether the level is dangerous. The researchers said that beside the public health use, the unit could help industries in screening, between the mot elaborate testing, of employes who might absorb large lead quantities in the cows* of thair work. Two chemists in the Biophysics Research Department, Dr. Angelo A. Lamola of Warren and Tetsuo Yamane of Berkeley. Heights, made the basic discovery involved in the new taster during studies of electronic properties of large molecules in red blood cells. They found that a red fluaescence cornel from blood containing quantities of zinc protoporphyrin, a substance which creases dramatically when the level of lead in the body increases. David M. Zuckerman, an electrical engineer, and two physicists, Dr. Joeei fiitinger of Asbury and William Ej Blumberg of Glen Gardner, combined in developing the method fa measuring the intensity of the zinc protoporphyrin; A glass slide containing a drop of blood is inserted in one unit and exposed tea blue light This products s reading on ' second unit resembling an oversised digital dock. f. Five prototype testing snits^ assembled by hand at Bell Labe, are being loaned to health authorities for evaluation. One Is undergoing trials by the U.S. Department of Health,; Education and Welfare at the Center for Diaaase Control at Atlanta, Ga., Approval by the center is required: before the tester can be used lit federally-sponsored lead screening programs. Potential manufacturers were advised Friday they should be able to utilize the design detail to develop their own taster, which would be even more accurate than any of the Ball Labs prototypes. As o k researcher put it: "We just bought the parts from e catalog." f CYW1 3-000898 Fluorimeter Detects Lead JLFIDES JO) * grades) TPS 20 AND 32 (Extreme pressure-additive for metal working and gear oils) TETRAHYDROTHlOPHEN (Gas odorant) THIOACETICACID *1-2 ETHANE DITHIOL le * iane rtiion) Distributed by erne ; to United States and Canada , ; INTSEL CORPORATION ' 825 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022 952 T*; (212) 758-5880 Cable: Intsel. N.Y. *________________WU125718____________ RITE J KUEHNE CHEMICAL COMPANY For Further information call Bob Sch,, (201! 862-1212 / Post Ofhcc Box 634 Toot o! Wood Avenue South wLinden, New Jersey 07036 Environmental Sciences Associates. Inc.. Burlington. Mass , will begin pro duction later this year of a special fluorimeter that will quickly detect from just a drop of blood whether a person has suffered biological damage from a high lead level, according to Alvin V. Block, president. The fluorimeter will complement ESA's existing instruments which deter mine the amount of lead in blood direct ly. When used together, the two instru ments will allow an immediate diagnosis of lead poisoning, the company says. The technique and basic instrument, developed by scientists at Bell Laborato ries. measures the red fluorescence of zinc'protoporphyrin, a substance in the blood which increases proportionally as the level ol lead in the body causes bio logical damage. The Center for Disease Control, De partment of Health. Education and Wel fare. has already accepted this as a screening technique, ESA adds. The test is said to bo low cost, simple and rapid so screening tests may be per formed in schools, neighborhood centers or other locations A drop of blood is placed on a glass slide and inserted into the fluorimeter which measures the light emission or fluoresence of the zinc protoporphyrin m the blood when the sample is irradiated bv a beam of blue light If the person has suffered biological damage from excessive amounts of ab sorbed lead, the blood will give off red light of a specific wavelength. The inten sity of red fluorescence is indicative of the blood lead level and any corresponding biological damage. The fluorimeter is expected to com plement ESA's existing line of ASV (an odic stripping voltammetry) trace met als analyzers which have been used in childhood lead screening programs and in monitoring industrial workers for lead poisoning as well as other toxic metals. Synthetic Coal Gas Study Ordered by Mines Bureau Bureau of Mines has contracted for a study to develop "a practical concept" for the use of synthetic gas produced from coal in iron ore pelletizing plants. The study, which wil) be done by Arthur G. McKee A Co., Cleveland. Ohio, engineer ing and construction firm, will examine the use of low btu gas as a fuel for pellet indu ration (hardening) and determine the modi fications required for converting existing pelletizing systems to the use of coal gas. The study, now underway and scheduled for completion in April, 1976, will also eval uate the economics of centralized versus decentralized gas production facilities. EPA Okays Continued from Page 5 West Germany and New Zealand. Cyanamid says. A multi-million-dollar facility is al ready under construction at Hannibal, Mo., for Its production. The plant will supply both domestic and international require ments. Quebec chlorate plant last year (CMR, 11/25/74, pg. 3). The company has not revealed capacity, but outsiders estimate the plant at 25.000 tons annually, and this would be increased to about 50.000 tons if the expansion goes through. The initial phase of the project is expected to be complete in January. 1077 Sodium chlorate finds its major use (about 70 percent' in production of chlorine dioxide, a bleaching Jgent used in the paper-making process. Additional uses include production of other chlorates tie percent), herbicides (7 percent) and miscellaneous applications (7 percent). Union Carbide_ Continued from Page 7 four Japanese companies to supply it with 100,000 tons of the compound next year In 1975. a spokesman confirmed. Carbide ordered 50.000 tons of ethylene oxide from the Japanese. The spokesman also said (he company has bad talks with its potential suppliers. The Japanese sources reported final de tails of the ethylene deal are to be negoti ated in October. CYWl 3-000899 N14514.01