Document RJX4wZBqBNYZR8y3o25VRr0bX

Maroh 13, 1938 Dr, A, J, Lanza Assistant '-'sdical director ?Jst,**opoll ban Life Insurance Co, Has York City New York Dear Doctor Lansat- I am afraid that thers ia very little T oan rive you in the way of now infor mation R3 tc the Influence of load poisoning on mortality, Tlothiny that I have on the subject is north anything in a statistical sense since I h've only my own experiences in the matter of cllnloal case* to 30 on, -i.nl these, I believe, aould be of very little assistance to you. In the course of the past several years I have seen several fatal oases of lead poisoning in children *3 the result of Ingesting lead from toys, play pens, and in one instance contaminated food, I have also seen several cases of fatal encephalopathy in eonneotlon with the manufacture of white lead, I have also had direot knowledge of ala or seven deaths from acute organic lead poisoning in connection with the cleaning of storage tanks heavily contaminated with tetraethyl lead or its decomposition products, I can not con ceive of these as having muoh significance in relation to the general question of mortality. My expe-lencs leads me to believe that fatal lead poisoning Is quite uncoaaon and aside from the instances which I here men tioned, I believe that fatal case* occur rarely except In connection with ship breaking or cutting operations in which an oxyaoetelene blowtorch la used on a heavily painted surface under conditions in which ventilation la lacking, or very Inadequate The only man I know who has systematically collected data on this subject Is one of ay colleagues 00 the Committee on Lead Poisoning in the Section of Industrial Hygiene of the American Public Health Association, I have no doubt you are faalllar with some of Dr, Hoffman** publications and I believe he has the date on this question In better shape than almost anyone else In so far at available stetlatlea are concerned, I personally doubt the a^ 00889 N 4044 2 accuracy of the statistic* and In any case ray Impression is that they show little evidence of a significance of lead poisoning in mortality tables* If 1 oan be of any assistance to you in <?ttlng "Dr* Hoffman** reports, do not hesitate to let rrse T-movt, Sincerely yours. RAKils EoSerTTrTeTioe, bi.D, B 00 890