Document YjwJLx3w8wNnB8Do48oa0ZaMk

E 6004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- Extensions of Remarks June 26, Wo I1 To some the Vietnam war is the key to all our problems--end the war and our Na tion will be on her way to unprecedented prosperity. These people have the idea all the billions now spent on war will go to the domestic front and everybody will be A recent article by Edward Olsen, cu rator of mineralogy at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, graph ically explains the need for this legisla tion. Mr. Olsen, in the June 1970 bulletin happy again. . of the museum, explains that since the The Communists and the far left group late 1940's, the amount of lead particles are not about to let us wax prospcrious and contented. With the war's end these agi tators will be constantly bringing up new problems to rant and rave about. America is due for a long period of unrest until all of us get back on the path of in snow samples from the Arctic has increased by 300 percent. This enormous increase is due to leaded fuels. As Mr. Olsen reports, over 103 billion gallons of leaded gasoline are consumed in the sanitary in our everyday lives. Northern Hemisphere every year. This To "those who are of the opinion this1 consumption generates over 310,000 tons country is the aggressor in Vietnam a re cent item in the Metropolitan Press should be enlightening. The Soviets are earmarking more than a billion dollars to North Vietnam to keep the war going. To the Commies this is a sound Investment as they want to of lead annually. . In our urban areas, the concentration of lead is particularly high. For example, in Chicago in 1968 auto fuels generated about 2% "tons of lead per square mile. weaken American public opinion to the point In a recent study conducted in New York they will not only win in Southeast Asia 1 City, the lead content of the air on 45th but it will be a prelude for takeover of this Nation within the next twenty years. A few dove Congressmen and Senators nojv feel it is not important for us to be the dominant Nation of the world and that we should cut back militarily and spend the money on the home front. / Street was almost ten-millionths of a gram per cubic yard at street level during rush hours. This is about 200 times higher than natural levels. Edward Olsen reports that for many Americans the blood level concentration This would be good reasoning except we of lead is about 0.25 parts per million. are dealing with a cruel and relentless foe According to Mr. Olsen, the threshold and once they (the Soviets) get the upper hand in technical weapons it will be all over for the United States. Never in our history have we needed a more united front in the cause of freedom and for our own lives^Listening to those for classical lead poisoning is considered to be 0.8 parts per million. However, there are eminent medical authorities who place it at 0.5 parts per million. As Mr. Olsen says, "These numbers are in northwestern Greenland Ice plotted against year from 800 B.C. to the present. The first question that arises is: Prom where do these small amounts of lead orig!-. nate? Besides lead, analyses were made lo: other elements--sodium, magnesium, silicon, etc. Some of these are due to sea salts blown inland from the nearby North Atlantic; some are due to clay dusts blown in from adj... cent unglaclated land and Islands. Lead, however. Is not a significant constituent in any of these sources. It has been known for a long time that there are large rotating systems of air that rise in equatorial regions, and because of the high solar heat levels there, move towards the poles at high alti tudes^ Then by cooling off they fall slow!-.to low altitudes and break into systems o'; surface weather patterns and move slowly southward again. On their way northward any warm rising air can add itself to this giant air movement and be carried pole ward also. ` Large urban areas are, areas of rising warm air due to the heat output from the many sources of energy that men utilize in heat ing, making electricity, transportation,-and normal human activity. Thus, some of the many gases and dust particles that arise from populous areas are added to these poleward moving air masses and portions of them are carried all the way to the arctic regions where some fall out with snows and rains and become incorporated into the seas, and icecaps. Thus the yearly icecap accumula tions can act as a sort of natural sample col lection system which can show relative changes over periods of historic time. I syn J tetr I of ' ; It v 3 by .1 oct: i .fift < less ` obt i nat I in ' i{ > for i 90 i ''h: s oct AT 1 am i to *( j au co: ? et: ; ler tf rorv' 1 ga I to' I rc: nc I et: 1 ar I bi \ cb \ cc ' `in tv - ac 1 BC 1 ev who advocatetbe^feasy- way~but-^could be clearly too close together for comfort." Mankind has been extracting and using our undoingf'"'^ " His excellent--and frightening--article follows: lead since about 2500 B.C. It was about the mid 18th century when industrialization be gan to grow. This growth was steady with - 01 - t: BAN LEADEEte'GASOLINES NOW Geochemistry--A Study of Airborne Lead Pollution (By Edward Olsen) western-world population increases, and de mand grew for more kinds of products made of metals, of which lead is a significant one. i i. e i le ON. WILLIAM F. RYAN NEW YORK IN THE HOUSE oFrEFRESENTATIVES Thursday, June 25, 1970 Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, on June 10, H.R. .17255, the Clean Air Act Amend ments of 1970, was before this House. All amendments offered were defeated, despite the fact that many of them put effective teeth into the fight against air Among the several major -branches of the geological sciences the one called geochem istry Is perhaps the 'most rapidly growing. The word Itself means chemistry of the earth, and since the earth consists entirely of chemical combinations of elements into liquids, gases, solid minerals, and biological forms there is very little it doesn't cover. It overlaps such divers disciplines as miner alogy, petrology, petroleum geology, and eco nomic ore geology; and is currently push ing into subject matter traditionally con sidered the reserve of paleontology. It is utilized in ceramic glazes, paints, ma chine bearings, insecticides, fungicides, al loys of many kinds, ammunition, solders, plumbing fixtures, and indirectly in photo:;raphy and coinage systems. As demand grew more lead has been mined and smelted from its ores. Because lead is easily vaporized In any process that heats it, such as smelting, a certain amount goes up the smelter chim neys, is added to the air. falls in adjacent areas with, however, a little cf it being car ried aloft and ending up in northern snov.-s. The graph in Figure 1 reveals this steady in crease in utilization of lead; around 1750 r- ST tc tc fl 1`. nn a A C' pollution. This was extremely unfor tunate. Rhetoric deploring pollution is merely form without substance. It is easy _ Traditionally geochemists have considered "such problems as where various chemical elements are situated in the Internal make up of the earth. In more recent years they enough to say that our air must be have become more and more concerned with cleaner and our water cleaner and our the chemistry of the earth's exterior as well; land cleaner. But effective, forceful leg the dissolved and suspended chemicals in the islation, followed by action of like kind, oceans, lakes, and ground waters; chemistry shows an upward change in slope. The graph, in addition, shows a dramatic feature. In the late 1940's there is a sudden upward spurt in lead in these ice samples. In lets than 20 years it Increased by 300Tc. It was In the late 1940's that automotive manufacturers began building cars with higher and higher horsepower. Gasoline en is what will make the difference. of the atmosphere; chemistry of soils; chem gine horsepower can be increased in two One place where action is possible and where it can have significant effect is in the area of leaded gasolines. The perils which the current automobile gasolines istry of the ice caps. ways: one way is to increase what is called Because of current interest in the'polar the compression ratio; the other way is to regions more and more data have been gath increase the size of the engine. The manu ered concerning them. Probably one of the facturers have done both. To obtain the beet most interesting and disturbing of recent efficiency from such engines It is necessary pose are too great, to delay action. This arctic geochemical -studies has been the work to operate them on fuels that have high is why I proposed in H.R. 17113, my bill of the geochemist, Dr. Claire Patterson of the octane ratings. We will not go into the meon- amending the Clean Air Act, that leaded California Institute of Technology, lng of this term here but only point out tha'- gasolines be banned within 1 year of In making borings into the Greenland Ice the octane rating of a gasoline is a roupn passage of the legislation. Lead-free gas oline is technologically and economically feasible. The fact that at least one com pany currently markets such a product establishes his clearly. It is possible to see each year's accumulation of new snow by the banding that occurs. Thus, by boring out a column one can tell the year in which a given layer was deposited by counting backward, layer by layer, from the present year. The ice for each iayer can measure of how much efficiency one can ob tain from a high compression engine. Sueengines require gasolines rated near l-> octane. Natural gasoline fractions from pe troleum crude oils are about 55 octf.ne. vu bring up the rating to the desired level U While the 1970 amendments have now next be sliced out, melted, and analyses made necessary to perform some chemical change* passed the House, there is no reason why further amendments cannot be enacted into law. For that reason, today I have introduced legislation to ban leaded gaso for the chemicals contained in it. Dr. Pat terson has examined a number-of such sam ples and his findings with respect to their year-by-year content of the element lead are remarkable. In the graph [graphs do not on the natural gasoline. The major change involves a process c.u.td cracking. By repetitions of this process, p-vperformlng distillations, it is possible -- . produce 100, or evenihigher, octane 'ue-- line within 1 year of passage of this bill. appear'in Record] we see the lead content In 1920 a chemist, Thomas Mldgcly, mace a DSW 334172 STLCOPCB4080750 Julie 26, 1970 -CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- Extensions- of Remarks E6005 synthetic metal-organic compound called of lead. It Is known to aflcct the central sion engines, and at competitive prices. Thus, tetraethyl-lead. It is a chemical combination nervous system, blood vessels, and Intestinal it Is not a matter that would greatly increase of tlie elements lead, carbon, and hydrogen. tract, as well as other organs. At present there the cost to the consumer. It teas found that addition of less than 1% are no dear data on the effect of long term ` Early this year one major auto manu St volume of this compound to gasoline the exposure to small amounts of lead. It Is facturer announced that in., the 1971-72 ol-tane rating could be raised by as much as qoiq/a spunodmoo pcaj tuqt '`jaacMoq 'umooti period It would begin production of a lower f-fiocn octane points. Tetraethyl-lead was are swallowed, either directly from the air or horsepower engine that docs not require less costly to produce than other means of with food and water, are only poorly absorbed leaded fuels. Unfortunately this step Is be obtaining the same octane Increase. It was by the body. Less than 10% of ingested lead ing taken for the wrong reason. Anti-smog natural then that It be added to gasolines Is actually absorbed Into the blood stream. devices (required on vehicles by many states) ju the late 1940'&; .... In terms of ingested lead man Is exposed to It become quickly clogged with lead oxide de Gasolines are usually marketed In two In water supplies, canned foods, paints, some posits and require frequent cleaning to forms: so-called "regular." which Is around dlshware, cigarette smoke, most fresh fruits, operate properly. It Is for this reason the SO octane, and what is called "premium" (or etc. Unfortunately the lungs are- much less change Is being made. "high-test" or "ethyl") which Is around 100 discriminating. 25--80% of Inhaled lead com In any event, numerous public health octane. Both forms contain tetraethyl-lead. pounds are absorbed Into the blood stream. officials, as well as university researchers, Although there ; are limitations on the Inhaled lead seems to be the largest source are becoming alarmed by tbe addition of amount of tetraethyl-lead that can be added for It In the human body. . ' ` lead to the air, which goes eventually to the to aircraft fuels,`there are no limitations for When tetraethyl-lead was originally Intro oceans. Each year over 250,000 tons of lead automotive fuels. In general, auto gasolines duced Into auto fuels there were considerably are added to the seas to be absorbed by fish contain about S cubic centimeters of tetra fewer cars, so the problem of adding lead and lower forms of life. Dependence on tbe ethyl-lead per gallon. In terms of the actual to the air was not considered serious. In sea for . food will increase over the next lead content this amounts to slightly over 3 addition. It was believed that the body had century. In addition, from certain micro grams (about one-tenth oz.) of lead per gallon. , When- gasoline burns in the engine the- tetraethyl-lead decomposes and the lead Is the ability to eliminate lead (below toxic levels) as fast as It was absorbed. As time has gone on, however, the number of cars has Increased. We have also learned that lead scopic sea plants comes the bulk of the world's supply of oxygen. Addition of known toxic elements to the sea can have effects that last forever. released. In order to remove It so that It will builds up In the body. The natural body With Dr. Patterson's work the field of geo not form thick deposits, compounds called content of lead, of a primitive man thousands chemistry seems to have entered a new area-- ethylene dlbromide and ethylene dlchlorlde, are put In the gasoline also. The lead com bines with these to form lead bromide and of. years ago, was about 2 milligrams. Today the average In the United States Is about 100 milligrams, with some city dwellers^ run the area of public health. The dramatic effect which man's use of lead has had on the geochemical record, as seen In Figure 1, Is a chloride. These, and other lead compounds, ning as high as 200 milligrams. About 91% clear Illustration of the fact so often over come out the exhaust system where they cool of this Is deposited In the bones. The hone looked: we are living in what is called a In the air, combine with oxygen and mois content of lead Increases with age. This, In closed system. Nothing goes "away"--It only ture. and form several bromine and chlorine acids,' and a dust of lead oxide so fine that some of It can be carried along In the air, even as far as the arctic snows. The pronounced effect of tills use of lead Itself, means that there Is no body balance goes somewhere else. Lead is only a part of for lead, that Is, It cannot be totally elimi the picture. It Is but one element that man nated as It is absorbed, otherwise beyond in concentrating, utilizing, and allowing to some certain age everyone older than that accumulate ultimately In the oceans. Ele- would have a similar amount in their bones. . ments such as mercury, bismuth, and tin on the Greenland snows appears remarkable. The average gasoline automotive vehicle (cars and trucks) runs about 13 miles on a gallon of gas and releases only 3 grams of Instead It keeps accumulating with age--the older you are the more you have. If you live In an urban area, as most Americans do these days, you are exposed to higher amounts and arc significant elements that are less obvious in their use and less understood In their cycles through the biological world. If a clear-cut case could be made that lead In the process. The great Impact lies in accumulate It faster. - lead had no effect on human and other life the fact that over 103 "billion gallons of such Because the great majority of Americans its use In fuels would never be an Issue. With fuel are consumed in the northern hemi live In cities where the exposure to lead In the long-term effects unknown It seems to be sphere every year. This generates over 310,000 the air is great, a number of recent studies folly to continue its use only to learn the tons of lead. In Figure 2 the graph shows the have been made to determine the exposure effects the hard way. total of tetraethyl-lead used since 1920. At levels. On the average there Is about 1 mil first its use was smEll; however, by the late lionth of a gram of lead per cubic yard of 19-10's its annual Increase Is more and more city air as opposed to a natural level of marked. In total from 1920 to 1970 over 5 million tons of lead have been utilized In auto, engines In the northern hemisphere. Averaging this over the hemisphere it comes to 120 pounds of lead per square mile I about 50 billionths per cubic yard. That Is, the city air averages about twenty times higherl In a recent study on 45th St. In New York City, the lead content of the air was almost 10 millionths of a gram per cubic AN ADDRESS BY HON. MICHAEL COLLINS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AT ST. MICHAEL'S COL LEGE. WINOOSKI, VT. Such, an average Is of course quite high for yard at street level during rush hours. This some low population, rural areas that are not crossed by many roads. On the other hand, It is far too low for city areas. In Chicago, for is about 200 times higher than natural levels. Rural dwellers are exposed to only a fraction of such amounts except, however, in highly K0N. ROBERT T. STAFFORD - OP VERMONT example, In 1968 auto fuels generated about 2% tons of lead per square mile I - The question arises where all this unre agricultural areas during the growing season when crops are sprayed with certain lead compounds that act as fungicides and In IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, June 25, 1970 - coverable lead goes, besides the relatively secticides. Because of such agricultural uses small amount that finds Its way Into the . on tobacco crops, smokers expose themselves upper atmosphere and then to the arctic. In to more Inhaled lead than non-smokers. an area such as Chicago, where the output Is The effects of such exposures are not cer very high, a great deal of It settles out in the tain by any means. Public health and in city dust that covers the streets and gets dustrial health doctors vary in their view of Into homes. The black, oily dust of a typical It. In reality there are no good scientific data Chicago windowsill has small amounts Of giving a measure of the effect on humans. lead in It. Most of It, however. Is flushed It Is known that for many Americans the away by prevailing winds Into the Lake blood level concentration of lead is about Michigan water supply and beyond. Rain 0.25 parts per million. The threshold for water carries down a portion of It Into the classical lead poisoning Is considered to be rivers and then to the sea. Ultimately most 0.8 parts per million, and some medical au of this lead ends up In' the. oceans. Some thorities place It-at 0.5 parts per million. of this lead, however. Is absorbed by all These numbers are clearly too close together creatures that breathe air. Including people. for comfort 1 Mr. STAFFORD. Mr. Speaker, it has* been called to my attention by the dis tinguished president. of St. Michael's College, Mr. Bernard Boutin, that that great college's commencement address was delivered by the Honorable Michael Collins, Assistant Secretary of State. This meritorious address deserves the utmost recognition as an excellent pres entation of the hope and optimism that is so necessary for the growth of our great Nation, As the Assistant Secre tary pointed out, this hope and trust in the success of our country is not un It Is well-known that lead Is a poison. Public health officials point out that lead poisoning falls Into two categories: toxio poisoning and chronic poisoning. Toxic poisoning Is the result of extreme exposure to Inhaled or Ingested lead compounds. It usually results In death, A great deal of medi cal information Is available on toxic. lead The question arises whether this addition of lead to the air Is necessary? Clearly it Is not. Reduction of auto horsepower would allow lower octane ratings and .tetraethyl lead could be eliminated. On the other hand,' additional refining and chemical changes can make high octane gasoline without tetra ethyl-lead. At least one major petroleum founded but is realistically based upon . the efforts of those Americans who cre atively participate in this democracy. Truly, deeds are what count. The address referred to follows: Address bt tbe Honorable Michael Collins, Assistant Secretary of State, June 8, 1970 poisoning. Not so much Is definitely known, however, about chronic poisoning, which Is due to continued exposure to small amounts company In the eastern United States sells both regular and high-test unleaded gaso lines of high octane ratings for high compres Some years ago Albert Camus, In cere monies In Stockholm, received tile Nobel Prize for literature. . DSW 334173 STLCOPCB4080751