Document B5z365kV649zgYBNMxYLeZ9ak

U Cl A - a rON -009 C -- a R L E 5 S h a iGh T J w ARC C S EU_L BERNARO D ATWOOD J^'iS M ESTASROOK EOsSARD H MANIA s. C-N c. MOORE OONAl O OEMIn G *`','ma s * r o Ch e uC - N OSN4TO. JR, w : _ AM J. JUNKERMAN Ta -- MAN Bl S SELL LAS 3. 9CWRING ON W. P4ULSEN m S o [ORCHIS wo.- AM P KAiN.jR, 0 A\ D P H WATSON R'C^ARD G ASHWORTH E0 a a RO L JOHNSON A:C-ARC 3. BARNETT M A w- R C U N O v E R SANFORD G MiitER HAIGHT, GARDNER, POOR & HAVENS SO BROAD STREET NEW YORK. N. Y. 10 0 04 TELEPHONE OIGBY <-6600 AREA CODE 212 CABLE MOTOR NEW YORK TELEX: 22297a October 1)66 AIH MAIL R G _ " NN BAUER "-AS CSV SYRN j SCRSE J "f-GMAs R r*ANC 5 J 3!R.NE;s e r H. HOWART^ EL AS 'r-ECGORE M SvSGw 5 ~ E = - E N K CARR CHARGES S HAiGHT. JR EUGENE C. BRUGGER PREC ERIC L. ATWOOD THOMAS P. MOLANPHV JOHN u. OU IG LEY. JR. WALTER E. RUTMERFOPO j C3Ep h v. "l Emin g tOL. 5 M. WALKER. wR j C-n _ HEARN P"E j ZAMBlTO P- _.= v MOYLES POSER'" K MARZiK ROBERTj.EGAN oEC- 5 CORSA CA= = G___. OUBLC 6obert A. Kehoe, M.D. The Kettering Laboratory Department of Preventive Medicine and Industrial Health College of Medicine University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio ' uK.AU TROLL" Our file 102-4769 cear Dr. Kahoei *e have a problem relating to the possible contamination of flour with alumina, as to which we thought that you or Krs. I. 3. Campbell, Mr. Cass or Mr. Cholak might be able to help us in view of the article Aiumi..ut: in the environment of Man" from A.K.A. Archives 'f Industrial Health which was Issued in 1)57. 's Cur. problem is tbiss- 143,95$ balers, containing 7,447,600 pounds of flour were shipped on board a '.Norwegian ship called the SKAUTilOLL, at Cew Orleans arid two other ports in the U.3. Gulf by C.-Vli, Inc. (Cooperative for American Halief veryvhere). This flour was packed in "balers,' each baler containing 5 packages of flour, and was to be delivered at Colombo, Ceylon, to be used by the Ceylonese Government in a lunch program for school children. After loading the flour, the SKAUTHCLI. called at Port Csquivel in Jamaica and loaded 2)53 long tons N35515 -2- Robert A. Xehoe, M.D. of alumina in bags. This alumina was stowed in four of the five holds of the SKAUTRGLL but none was stowed in No. 3. T^e flour was stowed in all five holds. In July of 1 >'62, the RKAUTAQLL reached Colombo after an uneventful voyage. The alumina had been dis charged at a prior port about three days' sail from Colombo. Jhen discharging one of the holds at Colombo, a whitish powder consisting of alumina covering some of the balers was noticed. The flour was packed in 10-lb., 4-piy paper bags, five bags in each baler which was made of burlap. The Ceylonese Government claimed to be alarmed because of the possibility that the alumina had gotten into the flour bags and poisoned them, so that the children would be injured. Ultimately the Ceylonese Government refused to allow any of the flour to be used for human consumption, and it was accordingly sold for animal fodder at a price much below that at which ordin ary flour would have been sold. , ( An analysis of samples of the flour was made by the Ceylon Institute for Scientific * Industrial Re search. The result of this analysis was as follows:- A. Flour sample 1 Flour sample 2 Flour sample 3 Flour sample H2 Flour sample H1+ sh Content 0.462.^ 0.455^ 0.506" C.430" C.57V- Aluminium Content (as Al) 70 parts per million 252 p.p.m. 224 p.p.m. ?6 p.p.m. 287 p.p.m* You will note that in sample No. 1 the aluminum content was only 70 parts per million, whereas in flour sample H4 the analysis showed 287 parts per million. Ce do not know what method of analysis was used, and we under stand that if one of the older methods was used the aluminum content might run to an abnormally high figure. Robert A Xehoe, M.D. Flour sample No. 1 came from the hold in which no alumina had been stowed, whereas flour sample ~4 came from a hold in which alumina had been stowed above the flour. Flour sample H2 shows only >6 carts per million and this sample also came from a hold in which alumina had been stowed over the flour. The analysis also show3 the ash content, but we do not know if this has any significance. Thi3 analysis was submitted to Dr. 0. .. Sibile of the University of Ceylon, Department of Phar macology, and in a letter dated September 13, he estimated that sample Il4, with the highest content, would contain 15 mg. aluminium trioxide per ounce of flour. He further assumed that if the amount consumed daily in the form of buns or bread by each person, is 2 to 4 ounces ? the amount of alumlni'ma trioxide consumed in this amount of flour would be }>C to CO mg. a day. In the same letter he pointed out that alumiaium tri oxide is used as an antacid In the treatment of peptic ulcers and that an adult;' withy an acute peptic ulcer would receive, initially, up to jCOO mg. daily. He further stated that if uGGO/mg. were administered daily for prolonged periods phosphate absorption might result, interfering with bone formation. Our clients, the owners of the SKa UTRCLL, are being sued for `332,OCC, which is tne loss sustained because the flour was sold as animal fodder. 1 In view of the article referred to in the .receding part of this letter, we thought that you or one of those engaged in tne preparation of- the article might be able to give us valuable advice as to this claim. It is impossible for us to see bow any sig nificant amount of alumina could penetrate the 4-ply bags in which the flour was contained; also, we do not believe that flour containing 237 parts per million would be harmful, .-.e understand from the article above men tioned that alumina would be present to some extent in flour even if there had been no contamination, but we do not have any authoritative analysis of the flour prior to the shipment. --V-- Hobart A. hehoe, M.D. The specific question which we would like to have answered is whether wheat flour containing 257 parts per million of aluminum is so dangerous'to health as to be unfit for human con romption, including consumption by children. If you can recommend anyone, including your self, of course, who could give us authoritative advice on this subject, we should be much obliged. ho should, of course, expect to compensate whoever would he willin and able to devote some time to the subject. iP: HG Yours very truly, HAIGHT, GAHDhdH, POOH HAVuuS By .harton Poor / /