Document YDyMq1grDaw8mK44RQ5gjME5n
July 1, 1954
Mr. E. L. Shea, P resid en t Ethyl drporation 100 P ark Avenue Building Hew Y ork C ity 17
D ear M r. Shea:
I am setting down the substance of our telephone conversation of this m orning with so m e additional background inform ation fo r your convenience and for such la ter referen ce as m ay be m utually u seful.
Two m atters of som e consequence cam e out of m y d irect interview ,in the com pany of M r. Ciiolak of the technical staff of the K ettering L aboratory, on June 24, w ith M e s s r s . H itch cock , B o g ers and .Faith (and a p h y sic ist, w hose nam e slip s m e), of the Southern C alifornia A ir P ollution Foundation.
(a) A s e r ie s o f p riv a te panel d is c u s sio n s a r e bein g arran ged by S. C. A . P . F .
ia L os A n geles fo r A ugust 19 and 20, 1934, in w hich r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s 'of the
petroleum and autom otive industry, and certain other industries concerned,
including Ethyl C orporation and du Pont, have been invited to participate. M r.
bahina of du Pont, am ong o th er s, has accep ted . The purpose of the d iscu ssio n s
Is to a sse m o le the availab le and pertinent inform ation on the com position of
the e x h a u st g a s of a u to m o b ile s , tr u c k s and b u s e s (g a s o lin e and d i e s e l e n g in e s)
under a variety of conditions of operation and u se of various fu els (influence of
a d d itiv es, etc. ), so a s to v isu a lise the status of the problem of a ir pollution in
th ese relation sh ip s, and to define the character and scope of further in v esti
g a tio n .
.
The participation of person nel from the K ettering L aboratory and from Ethyl C orporation is greatly d esired by M r. H itchcock et a l. I sh all not be in the U. 3 . A . a t th at tim e (I plan to be e a r o u te to a n In tern a tio n a l C o n g r e s s o f liidustrial: M edicine ia N ap les, Italy), but have agreed that M r. Cholak should attend and 'present our data on the investigation of the com position of the atm osp h ere of se v e r a l A m erican c itie s. I concluded that Ethyl should be r ep re sen ted ad equ ately, 'ana have sin c e so a d v ised M r. M acau!ey, sin ce I h e llu v a , and so exp ressed - zny pu rely p erso n a l opinion to H itchcock et at that the: furfcner n e c e s s a r y in v e s tig a tio n o f v a rio u s' a s p e c t s o f th e m a tte r sh o u ld be ca rried out by the tech n ical p erson nel of the in d u stries involved, b ecau se of their superior know ledge, experience and fa c ilitie s.
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M r. E . L . fh e a .- {2} - July 1, 1954
( l am fu lly convinced that the autom obile industry w ill be com pelled, for its own guidance, good-w ill and econom ic secu rity , to obtaina com prehensive knowledge of w here it is now and w here it is going in th is m atter, ju st a s I have believed and advised that Ethyl C orporation m u st have a sim ila r aw are n e s s o f its own situation in this relation sh ip . l am prepared to ex ert any influence I can in that d irection , so long a s m y a ctiv ities a re not incom patible with m y relationships to Ethyl Corporation and with the public in terest as 1 se e it. T herefore, L should be glad to d isc u ss the m atter with rep resen tatives of the autom obile m anufacturers, p articularly those of G eneral M otors,at an appropriate tim e, if they so d e sire . T here are som e physiological asp ects of the problem that d eserv e study, and th ese should be integrated with extensive v3c lino lo g ic in v e s tig a tio n .)
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(b) In an e a r li e r d is c u s s io n b e tw e e n M r. C holak and M r. R o g erg in C in cin n a ti,
and in m y telephone conversation with M r. H itchcock, la te r , the K ettering
L aboratory was urged to put in a proposal fo r an in vestigation of the com p osition
of the atm osph ere in L os A n g eles, with sp e cia l referen ce to the suspended
so lid s, including lead com pounds. The m atter w as le ft undecided pending full
d iscu ssio n in L os A n g eles, there being m atters both of p olicy and procedure to
be d ealt with on behalf of both Ethyl C orporation and the K ettering L aboratory.
Ou t d is c u s s io n r e s u lte d .in c le a r in g aw a y a ll o f th o b s ta c le s w h ic h a p p ea r e d to
e x is t, and Mi*. C holak and la te r d ecid ed to su b m it a p r o p o sa l, su b ject to
.Ithyl* a ap p roval of ou r in c lu sio n of the le a d p rob lem in the in v e stig a tio n , fo r
an an a ly tica l study of the atm osp h ere o f L os A n g eles during the period of 100
d a y , beginning on August 1 5 , or as soon th ereafter as the n ecessa ry equipm ent
can. be a ssem b led . (This is the anticipated period of h eaviest sm og. ) The cost
cf th is investigation is to be borne by the Foundation, in the amount of $30, 300, 00,
if th e p r o p o s a l i s a c c e p te d in its p r e s e n t fo r m . {S in ce th e g e n e r a l c h a r a c te r of. the
w ork w as agreed upon su b stan tially by M r. Cholak 'and M r. R ogers,
th erefo re
acceptance is to be expected prom ptly..) The portion of th is proposal which
involves atm osph eric le a d w ill co st $10, 000. 00. This is an item of expense
w hich, o th erw ise, would be borne d irectly by Ethyl C orporation (cf: m y le tte r
and m em orandum of January 23-25 to E arl B artholom ew in which I estim ated
the co st o f an in itial (i. e. prelim inary) analytical su rvey as $ 3 ,0 0 0 .0 0 in 1954,
m aking no g u ess a s to th e subsequent cost). It is p o ssib le , and I b eliev e it
lik ely , that we can reduce the scope and co st of our anticipated investigation in
the L os A ngeles a rea , and if the resu lts obtained in th is proposed survey turn
out as I expect them to do, we can go ea sy on the atm ospheric side of the problem ,
and turn our attention, in a le isu r e ly m anner and at a com paratively low rate o f
expenditure, to the investigation of carefu lly selected groups of the m ost sev erely
exposed people in the L os Angeles a rea . In any c a se the p ressu re should be
relieved in L os A n geles, and Ethyl C orporation w ill p rofit by a con sid erab le
present, and perhaps ultim ate, reduction in its expense for this purpose.
It is a n ticip ated th at the p rop osed su r v ey can be fa c ilita te d g r e a tly by so m e tech n ica l help fro m the San B ernardino L aboratory. When I w as in San B ernardino
M r. E . L . Siea - (3) - July 1, 1954
in M arch I raised the question, in a p relim in ary way, of th eir w illin gn ess, w ith the consent of D etroit, to give u s som e tech n ical help so a s to avoid 'indue d if fic u lt ie s on th e p a r t o f ou r s ta ff in th e con d u ct o f a n in v e s tig a tio n in l,oii A n g eles. They s t r e s s e d ev ery w illin gn ess to do so . Having secu red your app roval, in p rin cip le, to the particip ation of the San B ernardino group* I sh a ll expect to take it up with the proper people in the D etroit L ab oratories v . when I v is it them on o r about July 12, and to follow th eir w ish es fro m th ere oft. It is m y fe e lin g that w e can b e st en tru st the req u ired am ount of su p e r v isio n of ? cur sam pling program in Dos A ngeles to Ethyl Corporation p erson nel, and I ; b e lie v e th at su c h a s s is t a n c e r e n d e r e d to u s , and th rou gh U3 to th e S. C .A . P . F . , w ill be a beneficial ex p ressio n of cooperation on the part of Ethyl Corporation in the en terp rise in w hich S .C .A .P , F . is engaged. I m ade point of th is in m y con versation with M r. H itchcock and h is a s so c ia te s , and referred to it in the proposal and the le tte r which accom panied the proposal.
There rem ains only one other fa cet of th is m atter. I have thought that the e x te n t o f E thyl' s o b lig a tio n to c o n tr ib u te to "the Southern. C a lifo r n ia A ir P o llu tio n Foundation''should depend upon its sp e cific concern in the situ ation .in Dos A ngeles. O therw ise it s .action should be regarded m erely a s a gesture of in terest in the w elfare of its cu sto m ers th ere. .T herefore, /b efore I w as prepared to m ake any recom m en d ation a s to th e s iz e .of tlie contribu tion, Xw aited u n til I could talk with M r. H itchcock and find out how m atters stood. la m satisfied now that th is L aboratory, a s w ell a s Ethyl C orporation, dan work with the . Foundation, and that Ethyl w ill obtain a sa tisfa cto ry return, both tan gib ly and in g o o d -w ill, fo r a reason ab le investm ent in the activities',of the Foundation. I should think it could w e ll afford to contribute the sura w hich is w ould.be p r e pared to expend at this, tim e in the in vestigation of its own problem in Dos , A ngeles. I would have no h esitation in recom m ending, that Ethyl Corporation, sp en d -'* 1 9 , 0 0 0 . 00 to g e t the in fo rm a tio n w h ich w ill be obtained on le a d in th e Dos A n geles atm osphere by the procedure which we have worked out w ith the / r e p r e s e n ta tiv e s o f t h e 'F o u n d a tio n and d e s c r ib e d to th em a s a d e fin ite p r o p o s a l. ' Mo m a tte r how th is i s done o r by w h o m , th e in fo r m a tio n is n e e d e d , and in a n y ca se this snra, plus the additional expense rep resen ted in the a ssista n ce of San B ernardino p erso n n el, would have to be spent to ob tain .it. T here is the additional advantage in -making the contribution at this tim e, that if w ill co n tribate to th e a tm o sp h ere of g o o d -w ill which now p r e v a ils . It w ill, 1 b e lie v e , if m ade at o n ce, b efore a con tract is en tered into w ith th is U n iversity, be regarded as an act of gen erosity and good faith.
Sincerely yours,
SAK ef
R o b ert . 1. D eh o e, M . D .
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