Document EdxOmXnNQBGOn6Dm3p02Zgn44

EG RAMS: V O N D O N. TELEGRAM S: ETH YLPO RT, SOW EST. ETHYL EX PORT CORPORATION In c o rp o ra te d in th e S tate o f D e la w a r e . U. S . A . w ith lim ite d lia b ility . Telephone: V IC TO R IA 14-^1 THAMES i lO U SE . MILLE AN K LON DON . S AV. I D r . R . A . Ke h o e , Dep ar tm en t o f P h y s io lo g y , Co lle ge o f Me d icin e , Un ive r sity of Cin cin n a ti, COTCIHNATI. ' He a d Office: I 3 S E A S T 42"-? S T R E E T NEW Y O R K .U .S .A 30th Au gu st , 19 37. .. De a r D r . Ke h o e , I h ave ju s t r e t u r n e d fr o m a t r i p t o I t a l y and Mr . Sevan h a s a sked me t o w r it e t o you co n ce r n in g s e v e r a l p o in t s a ffe c t i n g t h e ge n e r a l s it u a t io n which were o b s e r ve d . As you know, F lu id o f I t a l i a n m a n u fa ct u r e i s b e in g h a n d le d in a ver y poor fa s h io n in It a ly and I was a b le to o b ta in a sm a ll amount o f co n cr e te d a ta a lt h o u gh , as you w ill r e a lis e , t h e r e ar e many d i ff i c u l t i e s p la ce d in t h e way o f o b t a in in g a co m p le t e p ic t u r e . Th e r e i s no d ou b t t h a t F lu id i s b e in g h a n d le d i n a ve r y lo o s e manner fr om c a n s , a lt h o u gh we h a ve been give n in fo r m a t io n to th e e ffe c t t h a t t h is p r a ct ice I s t o be d is co n tin u ed . I am a r r a n g in g t o sen d t o you u n d er s e p a r a t e co ve r a sam p le t i n showing t h e manner in w hich th e F lu id p r ep ar ed by Ra ve n n a (So cie t a La vo r a zio n e O li i In d u s t r ia l!) h as been d is t r ib u t e d ; i t i s , in fa c t , l i t t l e s h o r t o f d i s g r a c e fu l. I am giv e n t o .u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h e s e t i n s c o n t a in 1 Kg. o f F lu id and a r e packed sim p ly in a wooden box se p a r a t e d in t o c e lls b y t h in Wooden p a r t i t i o n s , and t h e r e i s no q u e s t io n o f a d o u b le s e a le d con ta in e r b ein g used as is our p r a ct ice . The S ia p , a t t h e i r Ve n ice i n s t a l l a t i o n , were r e q u ir e d , on t h e or d er o f th e Air M in is t r y , t o p r ep ar e a m ix o f t h is F lu id am ounting t o 100 ca n s . These a r r ive d in such a b ad ly le a k in g s t a t e t h a t th e Siap r e fu s e d t o h a n d le t h em , and a p p a r e n t ly on t h e i r r e p r e s e n t a t io n an Army d o ct o r and two s e r g e a n t s were s e n t down t o d e a l w it h t h e m a t t e r . The method i t was proposed to use t o e ffe c t th e b len d was t o pour th e se t in s in to an empty 1 0 -ga llo n drum and fo r the F lu id to be a s p ir a t e d by means of the ed uctor. . Sia p fe e l t h a t i t would be o f p r a c t ic a l u se fo r a memorandum to be subm itted by u s t o th e n e ce ssa r y a u t h o r it ie s , em p h asisin g th e d an ger s a s s o cia t e d w ith the h a n d lin g o f Et h y l F lu id , and a lth ou gh i t i s ad m itted t h a t i t may be lo o ke d upon b y t h e I t a l i a n Au t h o r it ie s a s e m a n a t in g fr o m an in t e r e s t e d p a r t y, they are. o f the op in ion t h a t i f i t i s backed by evid en ce o f s p e c ific in s t a n ce s o f m ish a n d lin g such as th e se ca n s , i t m ight a ch ie ve N21199 982100 Jtx Dr H A. Kehoe. 2. dat e 3 0 -8 -3 7 I t i s b e lie ve d th a t fo llo w in g t h is in cid e n t the p r a ctice o f d is t r ib u t in g F lu id in t in s h a s ce a s e d a b s o lu t e ly and t h a t i t i s now s u p p lie d in drums m od elled on our own. Du r in g th e to u r I happened t o obser ve one o f t h e s e I t a li a n m an u fa ctu r ed drums o f 1 0 -g a llo n s iz e a t one o f t h e o i l com panies* p la n t s , which app ear ed t o be a fa i r l y s a t is fa c t o r y jo b , a lt h o u gh o f course I had no op p or tu n ity o f ca r r yin g out a ver y clo se in s p e ctio n o f i t . The empty w e igh t o f t h i s was a b o u t 65 l b s . and i t was f i t t e d w it h d o u b le bungs o f s im ila r p a t t e r n t o our own. One o f t h e ch e m is t s o f t h e Sia p , d u r in g t h e co u r s e o f c a s u a l co n ve r s a t io n w ith an Air For ce o ffic e r a t one o f t h e ir in s t a lla t io n s , ob ta in ed co n fir m a tio n o f th e fa c t t h a t in s id e th e Air Se r vice F lu id h as been lo o s e ly used by means o f can s o f vr ar ious c a p a c it ie s , and he was le d t o b e lie ve th a t th er e had been ca se s o f illn e s s a t t r ib u t a b le to i t s u s e , alth ou gh I do n o t know how inuch w e igh t can be p la ce d on t h i s in fo r m a t io n . The N a ft a in I t a l y h ave ju s t com p le t e d two new b le n d in g in s t a lla t io n s a t Na p le s and Ve n ice , and owing t o t h e fa c t t h a t i t was im p o s s ib le t o o b t a in an im port p er m it fo r ou r stan d ar d e d u ct o r s i t was a b s o lu t e ly n e ce ssa r y fo r them t o produce d u p lica t e s o f t h is p ar t and th e sw ing jo in t s t h e m se lve s in I t a l y , b u t I must say t h a t t h e y seem t o h ave made an e x c e lle n t e n gin e e r in g jo b o f t h e s e , and fr om an e n gin e e r in g p o in t o f view th e p la n t s a r e ve r y s a t is fa c t o r y . They have now, a s a r e s u lt o f con tin u ed p r e s s u r e , o b t a in e d t h e n e ce s s a r y im p o r t p e r m it , and we h ave r e q u e s t e d them a s a m a t t e r o f p r in c ip le t o i n s t a l Our s t a n d a r d p a r t s . The p la n t e n gin e e r o f t h e Na ft a who was r e s p o n s ib le fo r t h e e r e c t io n ef t h e s e p la n t s in fo r m e d me t h a t i t was n e ce s s a r y fo r t t e s e t o be a p p r ove d by a Com m ission o f E x p lo s iv e s and Da n ge r ou s P r o d u ct s an d t h e P u b lic He a lt h Dep ar tm en t, and a jo in t in s p e ct io n was made by th e s e two b o d ie s b efor e p la n t s cou ld be p assed fo r o p e r a t io n * Ac t u a lly F lu id was n o t u sed u n t i l I m yse lf v is it e d them and p e r so n a lly su p er vised th e i n it ia l m ix. The m ain p o in t o f t h i s , h ow eve r , i s t h a t Mr . B e l l i n i ( t h e p la n l e n gin e e r ) d u r in g co n ve r s a t io n w ith Dr . Sic a o f t h e P u b lic He a lt h Dep ar tm en t, m e n t ion e d t h e fa c t t h a t i t seemed r a t h e r s t r a n ge t h a t t h e Gover nm ent s h o u ld i n s i s t on such a ve r y r igo r o u s in s p e ct io n o f t h e s e p la n t s in which E t h y l Flu ic i s b e in g han d led in drums s t r ic t ly in accor d an ce w ith our r e g u la t io n s and t h e r e fo r e in a manner o f a b s o lu t e s a fe t y , w hereas i t was lo o s e ly p e r m it t e d t o d is t r ib u t e an d m ix F lu id in d a n ge r o u s cann ed p a ck a ge s . Mr . B e l l i n i in for m e d me t h a t D r . Sic a a d m it t e d t h e in c o m p a t a b ilit y o f t h e s i t u a t i o n , b u t s t a t e d t h a t s t e p s were b e in g t a k e n in s id e t h e Gover nment t o c o n t r o l t h e d is t r ib u t io n and m ixin g o f E t h y l F lu id on sound li n e s . In co n clu s io n i t was d isco ve r e d t h a t th e Na fta were g u ilt y o f an e xce s s iv e abu se w ith r e ga r d t o t h e fr e q u e n cy o f m ixin g a t t h e ir p la n t a t Sp e z a , a s many a s fi v e s in g le m ixe s b e in g made i n one d a y . N a t u r a lly t h i s was t a k e n up ve r y r ig o r o u s ly w it h th em , an d Mr . Bevan h a s in a l e t t e r , b o t h t o t h e A s ia t ic P e t r o le u m Co . and N a ft a , s t r o n g ly em p h asise d t h a t we co u ld n o t countenan ce such a fla g r a n t br each o f our co n t r a ct . Dr. R. A. Ke hoe . 3, dat e 30- 8 -3 7 ' I hope t h a t t h e in fo r m a t io n co n ta in e d in t h is le t t e r w ill be o f in t e r e s t t o y o u , an d we w ould be v e r y p le a s e d t o h ave yo u r r e a ct io n to it in due co u r se . You r s ve r y t r u ly , HF/ BB HE 0015365