Document 91o4qZ7QLbML1KOYRY3kRO9de

,7. s t a n d a r d o il c o mp a n y % In. this ense, WKKKKHHEKNb plaintiff, entered the employ of the Standard Oil Company after -preparation in his work of chemistry, largely conducted at the University, of Chicago. While there, made study and tests with mercury, a detail of which will be forthcoming in a number of published articles, copies of which are to be furnished by Dr. Sullivan. These articles will disclose the extent of his tests.with mercury. On going to the Standard Oil Company, came under the supervision of Dr. F. W. Sullivan, Jr., the chief chemist at the Laboratory at Whiting, who has taught chemistry in school. The other superior was F. IT. Rogers^ also a graduate chemist. worked for a time in treating light distillates, and was engaged in work with lead tetraethyl for a little over two months. He worked with this product experimentally from August 4, 1924 to October 21,-1934, on which latter date he left on sick leave. rPrior to ^coming to work at the Standard Oil'Company, had'probably worked under Stieglitz at the University of Chicago. The period of employment with the Standard Oil Company was from- - - : \ % Y< . V \ ;^ ^ vs:,jj; X*: TV'"- /* Jamaary 3, 1923 toT November 24, 1924', at which^time he' ; left on`a leave of.absence to December 31. His associates in his, work were August French and Don Balcome - Balcome working with him only a few weeks and French practically  "2" The lead tetraethyl is md&Jby applying tests to a lead sodium alloy, which is a hard substance having a lead base. It was. disintegrated with a mortar and pestle, by application of force to the product under oil* in this state the product is not voluble,and there is no occasion for any physical contact with it, nor would there be -any harm if there were. . - The work of disintegrating it is done in a dish,about the size of an oatmeal dish, ajnd after being crushed into pellets - which are small grains and not a powdery state - it is transferred to a reaction vessel!, which is a glass flask. In this flask the product is disintegrated chemically in a diluent of hydro carbon, the resulting products being: 1- Lead sulphate, ?.- Fine0.lv divided lead, 3~ Lead tetraethyl. The method of extracting the lead tetraethyl is by injecting steam into the flask. The heat of the steam increases the voUU^Sle character of the product, leaving the non-vo portions as a residue in the flask. The flask employed is of conventional type. From the flask, by means of the injecting of steam, the gas is carried through a condenser, which consists of two tubes; The inner tube, containing; the vapor; the outer tube, containing water productive of the condensation of the product in the inner tube. The flask is of glass, as is the condenser, and the joints between are of cork. From the condenser the product is carried into a glass receiver, and the process is complete. In the receiver there will be two layers; The Kf 0017025 lower layer being water, and the upper layer "being the lead tetraethyl in hydro carbon diluent* The specific grantty of the tetraethyl alone is hairier than water, ibujt being mingled with the diluent, which islC. lighter specific .gray!ty, the lead tetraethyl &n the diluent^floats. Analysis of this layer of oil with a tetraethyl content is made|toi find what lead tetraethyl has been produced by the process*; The receiver is conical shape, with a neck and fla^e lip After the process of decomposition has reached the ppinjfc where the product is contained in this receiver, the decomposition is complete, and there is no more danger in working ijrith the product after it has reached that stage than tber^ would be danger in working in a room which had been painte<jl and the paint had dried. It was the estimation of Dr. tjhillivan that the largest amount of tetraethyl with which the plaintiff dealt during the entire period of his experimentation whs some 29 grams. These conclusions are reached from th^ record which Chalkieyms.de in his own handwriting, showing the quantities of material employed in his processes and experiments, and the resulting product. In all the experiments which! were made by Ghalkley, in an effort to derive or produce tetraethyl lead, he succeeded in deriving it only on two occasions, The remaining ! times there was np resulting tetraethyl product produced. The experiments were for the purpose of trying new In general, the work was conducted with diathyl sulphjate, which is classified as non-toxic. K 001702b The work which Chalkley did was performed : --4~ in a lioad, which me specially sealed. It is made of oak, with glass windows. The platform on which the work is conda?ted is about waist high, and the hood extends from that level to the ceiling, consisting of four walls, two of which are solid 'and two of which contain glass set in oak frames. At the point where the joints occur extra ( strips are placed over the joints to seal the hood* There is a fan employed to produce overhead ventilation connected with the sealing of this hood. This fan commonly is used to exhaust from four hoods. During the time was engaged in this experiment,and during that entire period, the fen ms employed only on this one hood and disconnected from the other three. I am to be furnished the exact dimensions of the hood and, by tests, the capacity of the fan,as to the number of cubic feet of elimination by its use in specified time,is to be furnished. A test was made,while I was there, with the hood,(which ie in the same condition as it was at the time., except that the fan is now used to discharge from four hoods,) by pouring ammonia inside the hood and then taking a piece of paper with hydro chlorid acid on it and holding it all about the various joints and openings of the hood, to attempt to produce a heavy smoke, which is produced when the fumes from these two products come in contact. Ho smoke was produced except when the paper was held inside the hood, and when held just inside the hood, with the door of the hood open six or eight inches, the smoke all went up into the hood and out through the ventilator;', none of which could, be discerned coming out of the room, nor was there t< 0017027 - ~b-. . r7- -- any odor of assortis, to "be discerned at any time. - Dr. Sullivan wrote a letter analysing the record of as. made by Me In his booh, giving periods of tests, ingredients employed, tetraethyl used, and so forth. This letter is said to be In Mg. Bellingham's file, and copy ox it is to be furnished to me. j I looked over notes .and they are too deeply scientific for me.to analyze, so that the letter of Dr. Sullivan is very valuable to a person who is to handle the case. As respects rubber gloves, Rogers]says he has seen use rubber gloves. They were kept by the storekeeper and were to be had for the asking, French and E&lcosze say they never saw (////////TMozk. at ar y time without gloves, and as French worked with him thro]ugh the whole period, his testimony should be quite strong] as to the fact that did wear gloves through all of his experiments. Both French and Balcome are gradua s chemists, and they say that warned them to wear globes and to be careful not to get the fumes, and seemed to pe quite familiar with the dangers involved. The first complaint that was made by to anyone about not feeling well was just before To:vember 4, when he laid off. There had been newspaper artieles published before that, telling: about deaths from tetraethyl, kn& was evidently scared to death, according to Sullivan* I talked to Dr. Arthur Brown, who was not employed in this work while ^m^|was there but has. done it since with the same hood and worked from April 7 to June 4, 1S25. The process he used was to add sodium to molten lead and KE 0017026 then add ethyl sulphate, drop by drop, sad used a mechanical stirrer.. As I understand, did not use a mechanical stirrer. I do not know if the difference in process is of any materiality- Brown made 22 runs, using 75 grams in each test, and produced aor. than 400 grams of tetraethyl, whereas, according to hie understanding, produced 63 grams. Brown worked with gloves and had no bad results. Dr. Sullivan places considerable reliance upon Brown's experience; my ovm impression is that it is of slight value and aay be incotape tent in evidence. I interviewed Drs# French and Balcome jointly. They worked ~ French, most of the time, and Balcome for a few weeks. They said there as a practice of changing working clothes. They always wore rubber gloves; HJJUH' did the same and rned them to do so* French studied at the Chicago U liversity and Balcome at the University of Michigan. Bo m;asks were used at either place in working with lead produc ;g. Both said there was no complaint of ill-health until' he last few days. French says that talked to him about a drears or a hallucination he had, which was that oi having a weight hanging over his head. He spoke to Br. Reeves about it and he told him it probably Was a dream 1 pressed them as to how they felt themselves and what effects they had, whereupon French opened up and told how he had low blood pressure, was very tired along about the time that was complaining . He said he did as much of the work and made the tests complete, and that in making the tests, the opening of the hood was closed a. much greater 'part of the time than 3[t was open. He and Chalkley discussed the dangers of the jmatter "before they started in the work* The particular hood used was in a room, known as Laboratory Ho. 17. 1 am thoroughly convinced that French believes he. had lead pc isoning at that time and that he thinks *0e I led him along the line of being frightened and he ads it ted ths.t he was frightened and that he thought it was ver y reasonable to be so* His testimony, if used at all, ts ill have to be used with great caution, as I believe he is o f the conviction that he and AH^HBhcoth had lead poisoning, although naturally I did not press him to point of saying :u Dr. a, b. beeves, employed as a physician in the hospital at Whiting, in the Standard ^ il plant, examined on various occasions}, one o:ccasion being July 30, 1924, which is before he went into t his work, and at various times after. He did not- examine his blood pressure. A report of hie examinations of Ghalklei^ is to be furnished, showing the dates and what he fbund Dr. Morton accompanied me on t tiis trip, and 2 employed his skill in helping get at the fa cts. I believe the foregoing telle the situation as completely as possible. To sum up: Witnesses available: Dr. ullivan is apparently highly competent; regards this cae p as pretty much nonsense; is somewhat reluctant to enter into the RE 0017030 detail of it) I judge with the feeling that it is hot necessary. Dr. Rogers is very close-mouthed and. hard to draw out. Dr. French was frankly scared, about 11 ead poisoning and thinks he had it. Dr. Bale :ae doesn't know much about matter and if anybody asbs, he will say so. The possible witnesses are: Dr. Sullivan, Dr. Rogers, August French, Don Balcosie, Dr. B. B. Reeve, Dr. Arthur Brown. The storekeeper may have to be used as to the supply of rubber gloves, their availability, and how frequently they were furnished, and, possibly, some repairman, on the question of changing over the 'fan from four hoods to one. . I did not see the storekeeper, but was told that he has the impression that d not like the gloves he had and that he wanted some special kind,which were ordered and secured for him. -1 v 1* K 0017031 Stock, Alfred* "3!he Bangers of Mercury Vapor." (Zeitehrift fur amgewandte chemie 39 (19861 461-466} She insidious danger of mercury has long been insufficiently recognised, and has been disregarded in iust those places where it is particularly threatening; namely in physical and chemical laboratories. She author suffered for years from health difficulties which "began gradually and gradually increased until they became almost unendurable. Symptoms are described as they developed, beginning with headache and increasing nervousness and Irritability, later congestion of respiratory passages and catarrhal troubles:. States that there is great similarity between mercury poisoning and lead poisoning. Previous mercury poisoning imparts increased sensitivity to new pnoniinsnoi'vnfriHnTgfs? norn> 1later contact* 0C1laeHimmss* thhaatt: H -fc Jg UZIWi&& to have amalgam fillings in the teeth* Schmidt, A. Pinfeus, Georg* Eeihlsn, E., Gra&enwitsl i. Wolf, Ludwig ''Comments in Regard to the Hazards of Poisoning from Mercury Vapors" (Zcltsohrift fur angewandte Chemie 3S> (1926} 786-790) "" The. comments of several authors, mostly confirming the statements of Stock as to the tcnix nature and the danger of chronic mercury poisoning* Husks, Julius* "Observations on Mercury Poisoning Among the Arabian Alchemists and Physicians" (Zeits. engew, q hem. 9 (1986) 790-791) Stock* Aldred. "The hanger of Mercury Vapor" 2 enly to comments of Grandenwits and others. (Zeits. snsrew.Ichem* 39 (1926) 790-791) ~-- Stock, Alfred. "She Dangers of Mercury Vapors and of Amalgams" (Celts.' ngsw* Chem* 39 (1926) 984-989) C-ives accounts cof confirmatory evidence cl mercury poisoning, states that "it is proven that the continued inhalation of even extremely small quantities of mercury (,.01 to .001 milligrams daily) causes health disturbances which at first atelnot specific and affect principally the nervous system and the upper respiratory passagos, particularly the nose." US' 0017032