Document VJV2zv1Re9O34go2LJzK3X9zK

Octobe r 16# 1938 Mr Ir a D* Card JIT Yak In a# 'Washing ton Dear Mr* Ca r d i ff: I re g re t to --s ay. that., your inform ation about the p u b lica tio n o f a fu rth e r a r t i c l e from th is lab o rato ry on the spray re s id u e problem Is in co rre ct* Y/e have some info rm atio n on one phase o f the problem which is in the de ve lopme ntal s ta g e # but about; which no thing i s l i k e l y to be publis he d fo r some months. . My own re a ctio n to fu rth e r p u b lica tio n on th is que s tio n i s th a t I s h a ll be q u ite ca re fu l to s t i c k v e ry clo s e to e xpe rim e ntal data* Much too much has bee n s a id on bo th s id e s o f t h i s problem w itho ut adequate s uppo rt o f an e xpe rim e ntal type * I have been c r i t i c i z e d in some measure by bo th p a rtie s to the controve rsy# p a rtly be cause o f some o f the th in gs I have s aid but la rg e ly because o f things I have ever s a i d . I fi n d I s h a ll have to bo ve ry ca re fu l ho t to be misquoted# and s t i l l more# not to be misunde rstood* As an examole of what I mean# some o f your co lle agu e s have taken the po s it ion that the a t t i t u d e o f the Pure Food and Drugs d iv is io n o f the Department o f Ag ricu ltu re has been unre asonable # and some atte m pt has been made to use our e xpe rim e ntal d ata in p ro o f o f th a t p o s it Io n I do not share th is po in t o f view about the work o f the Pure Food and Drugs group# and moreover# I do n o t re gard our expe rime ntal data as pe rtin e n t e xce pt in so fa r as i t has shown th a t ce rta in sm all q u a n titie s o f le ad can be cared fo r ade quate ly by the normal human body* We have no t de te rmine d the e xte n t to Which le ad can be taken care o f when i t is in g e s te d , nor Is the re any s o urce o f in fo r mation a t the moment# In my opinion# which Is adequate to provide the answer to th is que s tio n* I t is ay fe e l i n g , the re fore # th a t the governmental age ncie s which are de signed to p ro te ct the p u b lic h e a lth sho uld err# I f a t a ll# on the s id e o f s a fe t y . Consequently I do n o t b e lie v e i t i s up to them to prove the co rre ctn e s s o f t h e i r co n clus io n s which have been arrive d at by re aso nable methods# but rath e r do 1 b e lie v e th a t i t Is up to persona who d is agre e w ith them to prove th a t the y a fe in c o r r e c t . In s ayin g t h is KE- 0020162 - 2- I am no t unsym pathe tic w ith the a t t i t u d e o f th e f r u i t gro w e rs , nor am I unmindful o f th e ir d i f f i c u l t i e s . At the same time I am q u ite fra n k in b e lie v in g th a t th e ir a t titu d e in t h i s matte r i s base d on a wrong p rin cip le * I f e e l some ju s t i fi c a t i o n in making t h i s state m e nt s in ce the data o f t h is la b o ra to ry , and state m e nts which I have made, have been used somewhat in a ccu ra te ly to a tta ck the p r in c ip le on which the Pur Food and Drugs Bureau base th e ir a c t i v i t i e s . Sin ce re ly yours* RAKjis . Robert" A. ICehoe, M.D. HE 0020163