Document ZBEqkj6QKzVqxM9N3bvMGJkpV

November II, I9I4.I. Mr. C. C. Furnas, technical Aide, division B, national defense Research Committee, 1550 P Street, N.W., Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Furnas: , I am glad to have an opportunity to give you my point of view concerning the problem of'cleaning tank cars and other contalners which have been used for gasoline containing lead. First, let me say that we have a fair amount of information concerning the lead content of some of these containers, and the following facts are to be taken into consideration* So long as the lead in the gasoline remains unchanged, the problem of its removal is indistinguishable from that of gaso line. In other words, if the gasoline is completely removed, the lead will also be removed. Therefore, cans which*are cleaned and bright on tho Inside, and which are used only once- before being emptied and cleaned, will never have significant quantities of lead, if the gasoline is removed. Drums which are cleaned and bright on the inside* and which are nonretur- nable,are also unlikely to have significant quantities of lead, and, therefore, any cleaning which will remove the gasoline vri.ll remove the lead. .. When gasoline stands for considerable periods of time in the usual type of gasoline drums some slight,decomposition of tetraethyl lead occurs;, a M ;also'some corrosion of; the drum usually occurs.? The rust and scale In the drumand on the surface of the. drum will, therefore, vcontain small: quantities of lead. The same is true in :the case-of tank trucks and tank cars. After continued use in transporting gasoline containing lead, either continuously or intermittently, the scale and rust on the sides of these tanks will be found to contain small quan tities of decomposition products of tetraethyl lead. The ordinary methods of cleaning and emptying these containers; namely, by merely removing the loose scale in the bottom of the container, does not eliminate all of the lead. Therefore, when water or any other solvent is subsequently introduced, some-por tion of the lead compound will be dissolved. Any method of cleaning which would serve to remove all of the rust and scale down to the clean metal would remove the lead quite effectively. This, however, iaquite difficult to do, Mr. 0. C. Furnas - (2) - .November 11, I9I4.I. and 1 am doubtful if any method of cleaning would accomplish this purpose, other than the use of radical mechanical mea sures, for so long as any rust or scale remains within the tank, some quantity of lead compounds will be found included within such rust and scale. The problem of actually cleaning these containers is, therefore, a very difficult one. It is for tnis reason that I suggested the advisability of using some mechanism or apparatus which would clean the water rather than attempt to clean the tank, I have In mind the possibility that some such device as is used for providing potable water from streams or ponds might be used to clean water transported in tank cars. Thus, the small portable device which has been developed for chlorinating and filtering water might very well serve to clean water drawn from these tank cars. If some fil tration device of a special nature is found necessary to eli minate the lead, such a device, or such a material could pro bably be included in the portable water purifying system. a number of other possibilities suggest themselves. The feasi bility of any of these would depend upon the type of equipment Which could be made available at the point where the water was required. Therefore, any practical examination into this sub ject would seem to require consideration of the conditions under which such water is most likely to be supplied in tank cars. I have felt, therefore, that we ought to confer with those wnc have to meet this problem in order that we might suit the technical possibilities for cleaning the water into provi sions for applying the procedure. In other words, if we under stood the problem which Is to be met, I think we could devise some means of meeting it in a practical way. I am disposed to agree with your feeling that this is not pri marily a medical problem, but an engineering one. It is pre cisely for that reason that it seems desirable for us to con sider it. This Laboratory, of course, is concerned primarily with medical problems, but our approach to them is not devoid of engineering considerations, since our staff is generously suppllod with engineers. Moreover, our experience with pro blems arising from the traxisportation, handling, and use of leaded gasoline is much more extensive and comprehensive than any one's else. Therefore, although we are not looking for additional work, by reason of an already heavy experimental pro gram, I do feel that we can probably give useful advice and assistance on this problem, and it is our duty to do so. I only hope that we can approach the problem In an entirely prac tical fashion rather than by attempting to exhaust all of the possibilities that suggest themselves. The latter would in volve a considerable expenditure of time which would Inevitably be wasteful. As to the method of attacking this problem and the equipment which would be required, one finds some difficulty in predic ting. One mighto attempt to ; .simulate the conditions existing Mr. G. C. Furnas - (3) - November 11, in a tank car and tank truck, and then try various means or eliminating lead either from the inside surface of the con tainer or from the water drawn therefrom# For a variety of reasons, filtration suggests itself to me as the most logical and practical method of removal of the lead. Any tetraethyl lead which present would almost certainly he removed from the water by diatomaeeous earth. Suspended material would undoubtedly be removed, and it is possible, though not neces sarily true* that some dissolved lead compounds would also be removed. For a -number of reasons, it would seem to me to be im practical and undesirable to add chemical agents to the water in a tank car with the idea of causing the lead to be precipi tated or otherwise removed. I think also I can assure you that it will not be possible to remove the lead, rust and scale from such a tank car by any other than heroic means. . Finally, I suggest the desirability of our meeting with someone who understands the practical needs of this situation with re spect to the transportation of drinking water to a military site. I should be pleased to arrange for such a discussion in 'any manner which is convenient to your committee or to represen tatives of the Ordrr&nce department. The question, of a contract or of an appropriation to carry out the work need not bo consi dered so far as we are concerned,until such a time as some un derstanding might be reached concerning the scope of the work, and in any case, we shall be very glad if we can provide useful information on this subject. - Sincerely yours, Robert A. Aehoe, M. D. EAK ef