Document Ezv1vnd0eyppLeaLk3J9D0Bn
October 1,
Mr. George Calingaert Ethyl Corporation Research Laboratories l600 Eight Mile Koad ^erndale 20 Detroit, Michigan
Subject: Exhaust Gas Hazards
Dear Cal:
The matter of the now underhood ventilation of
several of the new cars has already come to my attention,
and T am aw are of the p robi era that p r e s e n t s itself in he avy tra .f>-T f c. I am n o t cer t a i n that thi s Vs p s a smart m o v e on the
o a r c 0 f man u f a c t a r e r s , for in accom;pl i s h i n e ono p u r p o s e , it
has rrj 0 , gnif i ed a d a n g e r th a t 5.5! sign.if icant. Obvi o u s l y , these
von ti.l a tiny ft vpft ^
c*1', oui a be close:d o ff w h e n d a n g e r o u s
conditions exist, but I have no confidence in the avoidance
of the hazard by this means.
As to the danger of lead poisoning under these conditions, you can, I believe, dismiss the idea entirely. In the first place, the eroosuro is. likely to be brief, and it will always be intermittent. Our information on garage mechanics, who are often exposed to worse conditions over long periods of tine, is quite conclusive in its evidence as to the hyqienically insignificant character of this type of exposure.
Despite the remarks above, I am su"e you will be interested in knowing that we are at last in a position to initiate the further study of this problem under controlled laboratory conditions of human exposure. It will be quite some time before we have any information, but thi3 question wa3 bound to come up repeatedly, and, in my opinion, it is necessary to have an unequivocal answer to it.
Sincerelv yours,
BA':hp cc: hr. J.B. Macauley
;:a n >
IT. Ieb.oo,