Document QXx603Byn4YG5m6GKLOKJ0b66

March 30, 1970 Mrs. Theron Bull, Jr. Dept, of Preventive Medicine The Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia 1025 Walnut Street Philadelphia, Pa. Dear Mrs. Bull: I am pleased to respond to your letter of March 18th and to send, in your care, some reprints for the use of Dr. Fouts. The mail strike has been partially responsible for my delay in forwarding these, although I returned to my work in Kettering Laboratory only recently from San Francisco where I was living and working, temporarily. I trust that these will be useful to Dr. Fouts, and I suggest that he might write to Hie directly should ae have questions, or need for anything else which may be available here. I make this suggestion because there has been so much misleading and somewhat irrelevant discussion of this subject as to create a great deal of confusion in the minds of persons who seek to be guided by facts. This is particularly true of the statements made with regard to the effects which lead in gasoline induces or contributes toward alteration of the composition of the exhaust stream from automobiles - that is, in particular, the influence exerted by lead in augmenting the output of oxides of nitrogen. There are, allegedly, certain other disadvantageous, indirect effects. I am no expert on the performance of the internal combustion engine under a variety pf conditions, including those posed by various fuels. My professional concern has been to investigate the significance of lead per se in the environment of man. Nevertheless, I have been interested in obtaining factual information about these matters, so as to be able to Visualize the entire picture. Considering the posture taken by various involved persons and organizations for social, commercial (chiefly advertising), and purely political reasons, it becomes a bit difficult to find solid ground on which to stand. 1 believe, however, that it is not impossible to learn where the truth lies, so far as the available facts now indicate. Sincerely yours, RAK: wp Robert A. Kehoe, M.D. Professor Emeritus of Occupational Medicine