Document VjK2a780nQ9ya62ddQO4QOM5p

December 1, 19*12 Dr. Zolton T. Virtscharter, Medical Corps, Station Dispensary, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. Dear Dr. Wirtschafter* I have your letter of November 19, to which I have delayed replying because of the pressure of other work. I should be glad to hear further from you when you have had a chance to consider ay comments below. First, let me point out that we have no information which would lead us to believe that the handling of leaded gasoline repre sents any lead hazard so long as the lead content of the gaso line is held within the limits of the commercial concentrations. The concentrations employed by the Army are not in excess of k cc of tetraethyl lead per American gallon. I am familiar with the specifications insofar as lead is concerned, and unless certain items of experimental work are being carried on in which higher concentrations are employed, there is no risk involved from the point of view of lead exposure, even if the gasoline is being used for degreasing. There is no absorption of lead through the skin to any measurable degree as the result of 3kin contact with such gasoline, and the opportunities for inhala tion are very slight, and in fact, generally negligible under condl tions in which the gasoline vapors are kept within safe limits. For these reasons, I have no fear of the lead hazards at Wright Field or elsewhere, as a consequence of the handling and use of gasolines that correspond to standard specifications. However, I repeat that if experimental work is going on with gasolines containing higher concentrations of tetraethyl lead, there may be a problem for Investigation. For a number of years a group of men at Wright Field were working with gasoline containing 6 cc of tetraethyl lead per American gallon of gasoline. We examined these men periodically and studied their urinary lead excretion. No evidence of lead ex posure was obtained, and therefore, we concluded somewhat tenta tively that the hazards associated with the use of gasoline con taining tetraethyl lead in this concentration were not materially different from those associated with the normal commercial product. K"f 0 00VG4 4 N 7981 Dr. Zolton T. Wirtschafter - (2) - December 1, 1942 The simplest way of studying this problem in any group of men vhose exposure is under suspicion is to obtain samples of blood and urine for analysis. Twenty-four-hour samples cf urine are unnecessary, and this could be done by obtaining spot samples of urine and samples of blood at the same time. If you have a group of men whom you suspect of having lead exposure, I could send you tubes, needles, and bottles with instructions for collecting the samples, and ve could analyze them and report the results to you with an interpretation. As to instructions for handling leaded gasoline, ve have advised against its use as a degreaser, largely because of the fire hazard on the one hand from gasoline with a low flash point, and partly because gasoline dermatitis will occur occasionally in rather severe form as a consequence of repeated contact, espe cially in gasolinesthat are high in unsaturated and aromatic hydrocarbons. Vie also strongly urge the limitation of the use of gasoline to the purpose for which it is intended, especially warning against the use of leaded gasoline in ordinary gasoline stoves and blow torches. (A gasoline stove has been designed for Army use which uses leaded gasoline, but provides for the re moval of the lead before it reaches the burner.} I shall send you herewith a copy of the instructions which we think are use ful in relation to the handling of gasoline. Ve have considerable amount of information on the handling of gasoline under a wide variety of conditions and. temperatures, and I shall be glad to give you any Information that ve have, if you will let me know what it is you had in mind with reference to 'gasoline transport in desert and under other tropical conditions." If you are thinking of lead exposure under these conditions, I may as Well tell you that in my opinion you are barkii.g up the wrong tree. I can tell you in all frankness that ve have never had any reason to believe that leaded gasoline is more dangerous to handle than is any ether gasoline under the general operating conditions that prevail in various parts of the world. Sincerely yours, Robert A .''Lenoe, . I). BAK ef Enc. P. S. Under separate cover, I am also sending you a series of re prints . Ki 0007845 STATION D ISPEN SA RY WRIGHT FIELD DAYTON. OHIO November 1$, 19 2 Dr. Robert A. Kehoe Kettering Laboratory of Applied Physiology University of Cincinnati Eden Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio . Dear Dr. Keho: I -want to thank you for your kind offer to be of assistance to us here at the Field* In regard to the exposure that 1 ars interested in at the present time, 1 should like to say that it is the gasoline exposure. As you can. see from the following table, a great deal of gasoline, all of-which is leaded, is used here at the Field, and I am sure that you con b e of a great deal of assistance to vis in tolling us whether it is properly handled and if any of the exposures are hazardous end, if so, what we could do about them; in other words, I should like tohavc you outline any plan that you deem adequate to follow to control tho gasoline hazard, so far as the Field is concerned* Euiuber o f g a llo n s o f g a s o lin e used d u rin g O c to b e r, 15b Z t 1. Flight Section 2. Propeller Lab. 3. Power Plant Lab, - 195 600 gallons of gasoline - 19 500 " - 85 250 "tt " "" The above table does not include the miscellaneous usee of gasoline Viere at the Field* I have seen the gasoline used as a solvent for degreasing parts and for cleaning airplane parts here at the Field in various vo rkshops. Specifically, I should like to know how one can best study this problem. I do not know from the records that are available here whether an actual problem exists. It seems to me, however, that it would be worth while to do lead studies of the men involved so that we could settle the question of exposure and absorption. Have you had any reports of gasoline transport in desert and under other tropical conditions? I wish you would send me your irstruations and recornmendations as to how gasoline is to be handled, what uses and usages are to be for bidden, and.a short outline of how you would suggest that these men be studied. The specifications of the gasoline that is used on the Field N 7981.01 V* - 2- Dr * Robert A. Kehoo Kovsiabei' 19# is restricted information. However# if you need this information, I "^i11 bo giau to give it to you as soon as I receive tlie specifications froa the Specifications Branch. * Thanking you for your interest and for your kindness, I re main, as ever, your friend, ZGLTOii T. TJIHTSCEAFTEil Major, Medical Corps KE" 0307647