Document B5ZRKv6wj0qQ7Q131eNYxkKQm
A ugust 1, 1941
MB. RAYMOND LUKE,
D ear Ray,
I have had an opportuni ty t o check ov er y our r ep o r t concerni ng the W of f ord O i l Company and o f t h e case concerni ng 71. 3. Coker o f l eao p o l i s, A labama.
For y our gener al i nf or m ati on, I would l i k e t o adv i se you t h at on many occasi ons, i n d i v i d u al s handl i ng gasol i nes of a l l k i nds w i l l aoq u i r e i l l n e ss ei t h er by absor pti on o f fumes ~r by th e ef f ec t of gas o l i n e on sk i n t i ssu e. These 3i ek ne3ses, how ever, have nothi ng to do w i th t h e l ead i n th e g asol i ne w hi ch you know so smal l as t o be ne g l i g i b l e as f a r as danger i s concerned.
There i s no way i n w hi ch we can a ssi st t h e W offord O i l Company i n hel pi ng them i n t h e i r case w i th t h e ex cepti on o f r ef er r i n g them t o th e f ao t t h a t th e Surgeon General o f t h e U ni ted States has approved th e v se of l ead co n cen tr ati o n s u; t o 3 oo p er gal l on i n motor gasol i ne and t h i s approv al i s obv i ousl y baaed on t h e f ac t t h a t ex hausti v e t e st s i n d i cated t h a t such a degree o f d i l u t i o n o f l ead compounds coul d be oongl dered harm l ess
The know ledge and f am i l i ar i t y w i th l ead compounds on th e p ar t o f
gener al p r ao ti o n er s on th e w hole i s r at h er meager and t h er ef o r e, i t
i s r at h er p o ssi b l e t h at by accepti ng th e d esc r i p ti o n as suppl i ed by
t h e i r c l i e n t , th ey may erroneousl y at t ac h si g n i f i c an ce t o t h e f ao t t h at
t h e gaso l i n e i n questi on w as E thy l G asol i ne. Even ao, i t does n o t i n f er
t h a t t h e l ead i n the g aso l i n e l as co n tr i b u ted t o t h e man's si ck ness f o r
h i s i l l n e ss, due t o i n h al at i o n o f f umes, and th e d er m ati ti s on h i s l egs
and f eet i A q u i t e common, as any g aso l i n e men w i l l know, to th e gaso
line i tsel f
'
7kat i n d i v i d u al s who have handl ed gasol i ne f o r some t i m e, l ear n to r esp ec t i t and av oi d any i n h al at i o n o f v apors. They al so r ef r ai n from sp i l l i n g g aso l i n e on them sel v es o r t h e i r cl o th i n g f o r t h e acti o n of gas o l i n e on sk i n t i ssu e i s aggrav ati ng and can t u r n out v ery ser i o u sl y .
Under t h e ci rcum stances, I do n o t b el i ev e t h at our Company would be
i n t er est ed i n i n v est i g at i n g t h i s c ase. I make t h i s statem ent m ai nl y be
cause the d i so r p p ti o n i s c h ar ac t er i st i c o f th e handl i ng o f g aso l i n e, n o t
of l ead.
.
::
0004583
Kr Luke August 1 1941
ISBL*
I f you have any re ason to co n ta ct Mr. Lord fu rth e r on t h i s m atte r I b e lie v e th a t you i l l be ab le to e xp lain our p o s itio n by pre se nting to him th e h igh p o in ts o f t h i s le t t e r
I t so happens th a t Ge orge Ro sse r may co s e o ve r t o hirainghaia n e xt week and a t th a t tin e I o u ld s u gge s t t h a t you d is cu s s t h i s s u b je c t fa r th e r i t h him and a li o him t o sake th e co n ta ct in t h is p a r tic u la r ease.
Ve ry t r u ly yo urs*
ACT/ F.L e nclo sure .
Alan C* T a lly .
7
00045.34
Et h y l Ga so l i n e X o r po r a t i o n
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R h o d e s -Ha v e r t y B u i l d i x o
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.J.A.COSTELLO
DIVISION M AN AG E R
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C.P.Ro s s e r
A SSI STA N T O I V I SI O N M A N A G ER p V f e' * ' *
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`,-r , -./ At;
At l a n t a ,Ge o r g ia Ju ly 30, 1941.
M r. A l an C. T u l l y ,
.
D ear H r . T u l l y ,
.
D ur i ng a t a l k t oday w i t h H r. L . L . L or d, Zone M anager o f t h e 1?To f f o r d r u i Co. l i e ad v i sed me t h a t one o f h.13 com m i ssi on
o f L en o p o l i s, A l abama cl ai m s t o hav e been
made
G asol i ne f um es.
s n o r t e d si c k on Hay 1 and has n o t r et u r n ed t o w ork si n c e t h a t ^ - t e . He has been ex ami ned by f o u r d o c t o r s t h a t I was ab l e, t o o b t ai n a r ec o r d of ; D r s. H ar i on T D av i dson o f B i rmi ngham, i . Cocke o f D emopol i s, J u l i a n H ow el l o f Sel m a and Gl aze o f B i rmi ngham.
In a l e t t e r t o t h e Z u r i c h I n s. Co. i n mak i ng a claim f o r com pensat i on h e f l B M st a t e d t h a t D r s. D av i dson, H ow el l and oocke ad v h ea
hi m t h s H ^ R l G asol i ne caused h i s t r o u b l e, h i s s a n
v, s *ri
se n si t i v e i n h o t w eat h er . One o f t h e d o c t o r s s t a t e u ^ o w ^ . -
he i s al so a l l e r g i c t o sev er al f oods w hi ch m i ght hav e , a n ^ , a , - e
troubl e.
.
I reproduce h er e a l e t t e r f rom th e f i l e s of the ' Jof f or a u i l -o. w r i t t e n by D r . W. T . Cocke o f D em opol i s--*"
" I h a v e u n d e r my from d e r m a titis o f lo w e r e x t r e m it ie s w hich Is fumes o f E t h y l Ga s o lin e w hich Is th e same cau s e o f h i s ...ay 1941 d is a b ilit y . ' R e s p e ct fu lly ,
This l e t t e r was s e n t to the B l r m l n ^ a t t o r n e y s ^ f ^ o t h j o f f o r d and t h e Z u r i c h I n s. Co . Me ssrs. L ondon & Yan ej o f ^i i m i ngham
r ep r esen t b o t h com pani es.
.; , -
y ek ^p r ev i o u s c?
b u t ap p ar en t l y l a s t y ear s a t t ac k was n o t - s sev er * .
tU
K1^ f)004583
J.a .Co s t e l l o
DIVISION M AN AG E R
G.P.Ro s s e r
ASSISTAN T D IVISIO N M AN AG E R
Et h y l Ga so l i n e Co r po r a t i o n
At l a n t a Of f i c e R h o d e s -Ha v e r t y B u i l d i n g
At l a n t a , Ge o r g i a
As t h e Z ur i ch I n s. Go. has d i s- al l o w ec
cl ai m H r. l o r d
f eel s t h a t s u i t m i ght he en t er ed ag ai n st . O o t ^ t t i e I n su r an c e Go
and '.'.'o f f o r d . He f u r t h e r st a t e d t h a t he (
was " g et t i n g
n ast y " about t h i s m at t er .
M r. L ord was k i n d enough t o show me t h e f i l e s on t h i s case and st a t e d t h a t he had n o t m ent i oned i t b ef o r e as he h ad n ' t r e a l i zed t h a t i t m i ght be i n t e r e s t i n g t o o u r company. Shoul d you d esi r e any f u r t h e r i n f o r m at i o n I am su r e t h a t H r . L ord w oul d be co-operati v e.
I made no comment on t h i s case o t h er t h ah I w oul d r ep o r t i t t o my A t l an t a d i v i si o n h ead q u ar t er s. I
I am su b m i t t i n g t h i s i n f o r m at i o n f o r y o u r f u r t h e r o r d er s.
d u t i es r eq u i r ed t h e l o ad i n g o f tank t r u ck s