Document DGZw9wEnOrqbrreeorNNrbmGn

wf. B, HAFFNER,PRESIDENT *J.M. BOWLBY, VICE PRESIDENT K. C. BROWNELL.,VICE PRESIDENT *J. A. MARTINO, VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT LTNDLEY 2IEGFELD, SECRETARY-TREASURER 4-20 L EX IN G T O N A V E N U E NEWYORK1T.K.Y. > MANF RED BOWDI TCH DIRECTOR OF HEALTH AND SAFETY June lli, 1955 Robert A. Kehoe, M. D., Director Kettering Laboratory of Applied Physiology University of Cincinnati .College of Medicine Eden Avenue Cincinnati 19, Ohio Dear Bob: You may be interested to note the enclosed from John Foulger relative to the Australian foolishness. I am still hoping to hear from you on this. Sincerely, HE 00149 E. I. du Pont de Hemours & Company Wilmington 98, Delaware June 3 195S Mr. Manfred Bowditch Lead Industries Association Ii20 Lexington Avenue Hew lork 17 !U T. Bear Manfreds Thank you for your letters of May 16 and 31* With, respect to the problem posed by the action of the Australian Federa tion of Organisations of the Blind, I can only say that, so far as I know and so far as I can gather from the literature, optic neuritis and severe fatal damage to the kidney are not common in recent years in lead poisoning and are not specific effects of such poisoning. Perhaps the origin of this action of the Federation is explained by a quo tation from Hamilton and Hardy, Industrial Toxicology, Second Edition, page 73s "Perhaps the most striking evidence of a chronic nephritis follow ing long after an acute attack of plumbism is to be found in the reports from Queensland, Australia. Early in the century Gibson (J. L., Plumicoeular neuritis in Queensland children. Brit. M. J., Vol. 2, page lli88, 1908) had reported many cases of plumbieocular neuritis among the children in this Australian stats, 1*28 in a period in which only 1 and 1* occurred in other states. Gibson traced the poisoning to the white lead paint on the verandas where the children play, paint which under the very hot sun cracks and powders. The same conditions do not exist in the other Australian states* Some years later it was found that deaths from chronic nephritis in people between 10 and 1*0 years of age of both sexes were strikingly more frequent in Queensland hospitals than in those of other states, 1070 per 800,000 population against ltii9, 368, and 3hh in three other states. (Hye, L. J. J., An investi gation of the extraordinary incidence of chronic nephritis in young people in Queensland. (M. J. Australia Vol. 2, page liUt, 1929)*11 This is very old data subject to all the deficiencies of investigation in 1908 and 1929. Modern information would hold no justification for such action as that proposed b y the Australian Federation, Sincerely yours, /s/ John H. Foulger, M. B. . John H. Foulger, M. D. Director of Medical Research JHF/cmb Ke 00143a Coa