Document JrwJQ28yGkbQaK4RbpbQV0r1v

Bo s t o n Ed is o n Co mp a n y Be n e r a l Of f ic e s , 39 Bo y l s t o n St r e e t BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS September 30, 1938 Dr. Cecil K. Drinker Harvard School of Public Health Shattuck Street Boston, Massachusetts Dear Dr. Drinker: For many years prior to 1929 this Company furnished a quart of milk to each employee of the Battery Room per day on someone*s theory that the injestion of that much milk pre vented lead poisoning. This milk distribution was discontinued in 1929 on my recommendation as an economy measure and because the injestion of milk had no scientific basis as a preventative of lead poisoning. However, some of the men continued to buy a quart of milk daily at their own expense. At any rate we had no lead poisoning in the Company until this summer when we had one case among Battery Room em ployees. Now our Union has petitioned the Management to again furnish milk to Battery Room employees at Company expense. I do not recommend this because I have no knowledge of any scien tific backing. Perhaps I am mistaken, but if not would you be good enough to write me a letter, giving in lay terms which the Union can understand, arguments to show that lead poison ing can not be prevented by the injestion of milk. If you desire to look over our BatteiyRooms and thus familiarize yourself with our lead hazard, I would be pleased to make an appointment with you for such an inspection. May I say that our Insurance Carrier is making studies at the moment and we expect them to make recommen dations for the reduction of the hazard. Kindly render your bill in this connection. Yours very truly, Wzr-vC 7 4 N. G. Monroe, M.D. ^^/ted^cal Director n g m/e s d ^1ftomsny