Document RRa0yedoD18OEMoMNxeEa1Gn

June 2, 1937 Dr* JV Howard Beard Health Service station TJrbana, Illinois Dear Doctor Beards 1 hasten to reply to your letter of May 28th concerning the experimental administration of lead and arsenic residues to human subjects* I am quite sympathetic with this type of experimentation since I think it is virtually the only satisfactory means of answering some of the questions associated with the spray residue prefolem* On the other hand I can best tell you whether ornot I consider the experimental program safe by describing to you what I would feel to be necessary safeguards in carrying out such work* I would not wish to do this type of experimentation and., as a matter of fact, I would not do it under any circumstances unless r had the facilities, both clinical and analytical, to follow carefully the subjects and to know precisely what was happening in the matter of lead absorption and lead excretion* `To be precise, experimental subjects under this regime should be given a physical examination not less than once a week, including a rather careful and thorough-going study of the blood* In addition their fecal and urinary excretion should be followed in such a way as to enable one to be sure that they were main taining a balance between intake and output* The results here are In some degree predictable from the available Information, but I do not believe one could escape a very just criticism for being incautious if he did not maintain such a degree of control In this type of experimental work. The quantities of lead Involved here are in the neighborhood of two and a third milligrams per day* I should suspect that the greater portion of this would pass through the alimentary tract unabsorbed* On the other hand, the figure Is suf ficiently close to the son of recognized ddnger In occupational exposure that I do not regard the results as wholly predictable. It seems quite probable that I have had about as jjauch experience In this field as anyone, and yafc at the present time I am making some observations in which I do not permit the daily Intake to exceed one milligram* Even under this condition I am maintaining the type of experimental control which I 2 described above. In as much as you have not outlined the manner of experimentafcIon* I am going somewhat beyond your request in making an additional comment* However I think I am ^hstified In making the statement that this type of experimentation is not likely to be useful in solving the question at Issue unless a very accurate and careful determine- . tion of the lead intake and output is carried on as part of the experimental procedure* In making this comment I trust you will realise that I am. not dis cussing this matter primarily from the point of view of an experimental man; rather I am speaking to you as one physician to another* I should be glad to see the experiments carried out but frankly Ijsould not do it myself except under the conditions I have out lined,, nor would I consider the risk justified by anything other than complete detailed knowledge of the behavior of lead under such conditions* Gordtally yours. RAKsis Robert "A* Kehoe, Il.'D* KE 0019879 KH 0019880