Document GmxaYg36rLB1N7yZpmdVkw2Lv

BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM W) FROM - Mr. Charles E. Couchman - Dr. Huntington Williams ,, . _ RECEIVED Octbber 8, 1958 OCT 9 1m ' BUREAU OF ukmm. mINOUSTWAL HYGIENE heal t h dept . SUBJECT - Telephone conversation with Dr. Leona F. Baumgartner, Commissioner of Health, New York City; October 7, 1958 This memorandum is to infoxm you and others that are interested that I had a very satisfactory telephone conversation with Dr. Leona F. Baumgartner, Commissioner of Health of New York City, relative to the letter I wrote her on September 23 last about the possibility of the New York City Board of Health approving the text of the Baltimore City ordinance requirement for the labeling of lead paint as an amendment to their Regulation 230d in their Sanitary Code, so that the Baltimore wording could be used to meet the New York City requirements and obviate the necessity of separate labeling for our two cities. Dr. Baumgartner was very kindly disposed to the suggestion and said that it probably needed no special action by her Board of Health as there is a general provision in the New York City Sanitary Code, she told me, that permits alternates in matters of this kind where the end result is equivalent. She asked me to talk to Mr. Jerome Trichter, their Assistant Commissioner for Environmental Sanitation Services, and I did this with very good results. Mr. Trichter knew about our suggestion which was made after my promise to the paint people here in Baltimore, and saw no difficulty so far as New York City and Baltimore is concerned, along the lines suggested by Dr. Baumgartner. Hr. Trichter then told me that the paint people had been in touch with him and were having a meeting on October 20, I believe, after which they expressed a desire to confer with Mr. Trichter and myself. Their plan tentatively is to propose a model riadmallaw which could be used in any area desiring a paint labeling law that would have warning label wording such as ours in Baltimore which by then would probably be acceptable officially in New York City. I told Mr. Trichter that I would be delighted to confer with him and with them and he said he would let me know later about this matter when he hears from the paint people further. At that point I explained to Mr. Trichter that so far as I knew, the only other parts of the country where warning label wording had been specified (and this following the New York City wording) were the States of Illinois and Kansas where such laws took effect the middle of July and shortly after, I believe. It seems to me if any Baltimore or national paint manufacturers who are printing labels to meet the Baltimore ordinance requirement re wording wish to get in touch with Mr. Trichter at the New York City Health Department, 0035BHD000000462 Mr. Charles E. Couchznan -2- October 8, 1958 it might well be possible that Mr. Trichter would (under the equivalent phraseology in the New York City Sanitary Code) perhaps find it possible to approve labels using the Baltimore wording for sale in New York City, and then they would not have to print different wording for sale of paint in New York City and Baltimore. At least this is a step in the direction that I hope may prove possible. R Copy to: Dr. Schulze Dr. Davies Dr. Kaplan 0035BHD000000463