Document O7QRaErd0erD7d9j5eG65zDp

December 22,1923* Mr* E* W* Webb, .' c/o The Ethyl Gasoline Gorp, '25 Broadway, - Hew York,,.II* Y, ^v.;^;v :. ... \ -. , . . ' My dear Mr* Webbs , . Hy assistant, Doctor Maehle, has just returned from visiting various points in Pennsylvania and West Virginia at which w are doing mixing with the exception of Philadelphia, and he has brought backa report Which I am giving you, and which I would like to have you call to the attention of Mr* Walter* The conditions to which Doctor Brleker has made some objection are present* and in some cases are definitely ob jectionable* X will begin with the wr&t first* At Oil City, the mixing point of the Pennsoil Company* conditions are not at all good. .The mistake have been pointed out by Doctor Macllle, and we have every assurance that they will be corrected, but in order to make sure that they are, I should like to have these matters called to the attention of the Department of'Inspection, and I shall also send one of my assistants, in the very near future, to check up on them* The clothes at these points are quite inade quate, and have never been used at any time in the mixing of Ethyl Fluid with gasoline* Shoes have not been provided and as a conse quence the men are Wearing their usual work clothes and shoes in performing, this: 'Work#,. The' gas: maklis.., some of which are provided, have ever been used at any ;time fdi* their seals have not even been disturbed* The men are to some extent unacquanited with the rules and their whole acquaintance of them being the result of one read ing of them, and the mles are not posted at any point where they can be seen* ; ..-.'> ' : ':: ' At the Saverly installation at Pittsburgh, and at the Sterling installation at Emlenton, conditions are all right so far as clothes and shoe3 are concerned* The rules, however, have not been posted at these points* . ` .' ' . ;gv>: At all three of these points the platforms areqgpl.1, somewhat too small 1 think, so that they do not allow storage, arid' they are riot situated on railroad sidings, as a result it becomes necessary to truck drums to these points and store them, for the most part, on the ground and to raise them by means of skids on to the working platform as they are needed* L.C*L. deliveries are made to all of these point, and they are all by truck* how I . realise that it is riot always possible to have everything ideal in the way of equipment* I realise that it is necessary at some points to send small quantities of fluid, to truck it if need be, and it is Mr* S* W* Webb \y j \ ,T ' v 2 December 22,1926 also necessary to economise to the utmost cm the expense of installation at some of those points* It is mfo^tnaato# however, in doing this ire have somehow given the impression that the carrying out of the rules.and- regulation.in other - natters is not an absolute necessity* the matter of lothesf|# hoes and: masks};.is* of course, a matter of'extreme importance and these natters must be carefully looked after by our Popart ment of Inspection as well as by my assistants* In this con : neetion, there is one natter of great importance which I think should be rigidly carried out* Wherever Ethyl Gasoline inspect tors perform the first mix for the workmen, they should equip themselves exactly in accordance with the rules and regulations, and should set a perfect example to the workmen as to exactly what to wear* as to the use of the gas masks in opening drums, and in performing every other routine' act, otherwise I am sure men will get the impression that it is-not necessary to carry out all of these rules, and the management is very likely to . have the sa.se idea# 1 understood when those things were reported . to me exactly what Doctor Brieker meant in her letter to you and to me, , : . -, _ ;\- ;vV-:V"-V" / : Doctor Hachis has -taken up all' these matter* with- thef'management . at these points, and has requested their immediate- correction* X ' am- also writing to Hr, ^arvoy, Superintendent at Oil Citjf to further stress the necessity of doing these things at one;*-I .... Trust this will be all that will'be necessary to get them'to ..... realise the necessity of carrying out instructions exactly as they hay been given them, :.. . . . .. There is another matter to which X would like.'to call your at* fcention* It was found at Whiting on ourlast visit that:the . Standard Oil Company of Indiana had given -orders for the analy- sis of ail Ethyl Fluid which is mixed with .gasoline at this point* The,same is,beihg^Aone;at Casper|.!%oing,-and it;-is.--possible, al though I do not know surely, that the same is being done at other points In the Indiana territory* 1 can understand the business reasons for wishing to do this, and .I ban. understand too that there have been variations in the lead content of .'the'Fluid, par. -;V tieularly in the ease of Fluid which had baon held for considra ble periods of time* I am sure that the settling out of sludge, due to the decomposition of tetraethyl lead, would give rise to a lower percentage,of lead in the Fluid, at any rate it has been considered advisable to-analyse the Fluid* This ha* been don without consulting anybody connected with the Ethyl Gasoline Gorporation, and of course, has boon done for strictly business rea sons. It has an unfortunate result, however, of exposing other men t hasards in the handling of tetraethyl lead in that the drums must be sampled and the Fluid taken to the laboratory for analysis* Be were asked at Whiting to examine two chemists for this purpose* Bdturally we wox* not in position to refuse to do so, and yet I re gard this as totally unnecessary exposure, and one which the modi oeeiooo 3X Mr# E# W# febb# . - ' '>. ' Boeeaiber 2B#19gb* - . exainp3e what is done with the fluid ^after it reaches the labora- tory# We do not- know justwho 1ms contact withstand who does not* it may* in fact# expose the entire laboratory staff to a . . certain danger#:.;..;It has'beeai* ;S^P0d#;'prpoa0:,.tO''keep all of . ..- ' the types of exposure. to IlnM^ao localize that we could ..put our finge.r on the exposure and estimate its quantity# We have also tried to keep the total number of exposed men at the . least possible figure# If this policy is to bb carried out at all points* even in the Indiant territory only, me are introduc ing anrsanaoasuhabio hazard# and are exposing a large tnaber of > men ami our previous experience with the laboratory handling of . Ethyl Fluid has not been such as to cause usto disregard this danger* I do not feel, therefore* that my department can.as- sumo the responsibility for these men,- not do I feel that the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation should assume in any way the respan- ; gibility for anything which comes out'of such methods# I should appreciate very much knowing your reaction to this, and any sug- gestin which you nay have to make as to the proper means to cope with this problem* It is necessary to point out also that if things of this sort are continually going to arise without our . knowledge of them, we shall not have the check on the Ethyl Fluid . proposition in the way that we, expect to do* There-was some little misunderstanding about this matter at bh.it- ... ing# and footer Crudgington was given*to understand to some ex tent that this was a matter which did not come within the province ` of our medical staff* It was further .stated that this was" purely . a business matter on which orders had come fro: the- Standard Oil office In':Chicago# and that It was not necessary for any physician . to pasa on it* It is for that reason that instead of discussing this matter with the Chicago office# I am bringing it to your at- ; , tentlon for your suggestion and opinion* T- think you will see at. , . once that this has serious possibilities* .' . .. .. . . '; . = ' ^ry truly-yours* - ; hakso- ' -' ' : .--....;j - ' /. K 0001331