Document Znpa2k78pN2RQj9xj20rrxowV
INTER-OFFIC E CORRESPONDENCE
CC.: D r. R A. ICehoe
E t h y l Ga s o l i n e Co r p o r a t i o n
Ma n u f a c t u r in g De pa r t m e n t
MAIL ADDRESS: BOX 6 8 6 . WILMINGTON, DEL. FREIGHT ADDRESS; CARNEY'S POINT. N. J . T E LE P H O N E ; PENNSGROVE, N. J. ESO. EXTENSION 213
iSmsk 22, 1935
BSaoaweaidisBis. a?*. 4 * 1. MiftnaoM;
As.a n a tter fo r your information
1 sis attacking hereto copy of lo tta r we have today
received ftrm ilr . W* S i S a le o tt, D irector o f the
Jacicsoa laboratory @tSb%\i}y lories, addressed to
a Ur* A rm ili iiaterer*
\
' X. \
/ Caleebt>veea not kaov w ith -
what eoaipaay
Dr* E sta re r
is trMag*
A ll m hay
to loara about him i s that
soia
ago he,.applied fo r a p o sitio n hare with
the v i$ 0 ^ ^ ^ ^ m j* \/
3 * H. Sc h a e fe r
A il f/
H E 0000S38
L
E. I. du P o n t de Nemours & Go.
W ilmington, Delaware
G OP Y
COPY TO:
DR. E. E. EVANS, H o s p ita l \
DR. I . GBEIMABN
DR. H. W. ELLEY
:
MR. J . SCHAEFER, E th y l Gas.
March 18, 1935
Dr. A rnulf E s te re r, Hawkesbury, O ntario, Canada.
`
Dear Dr. E sterer:
I am r e f e r r i n g to our M edical D epartm ent a copy o f y o u r l e t t e r a sk in g fo r inform ation on the sa fe handling o f te tr a e th y l le a d .
In the meantime, however, i t should be p o in ted out th a t rubber gloves in co n n ec tio n w ith t e t r a e th y l le a d a re extrem ely dangerous. They do n o t only prevent the absorption of te tr a e th y l lead but presen t a hazard in them selves, as they are capable o f absorbing appreciable q u a n titie s o f te tr a eth y l lead w ith out d is c lo s in g the fa c t by an obvious change in p ro p e rtie s . They a r e , th e re fo re , d is tin c tly unsafe as they c re a te an e n tire ly fa ls e sense of s e c u rity .
T etra eth y l lead vapor is re a d ily absorbed In any of the standard gas masks. Absorbent charcoal., fo r in stan ce, picks i t up very re a d ily . I t is a lso re a d ily destroyed by strong acid s o r powerful oxidizing agents, but probably the b est gas mask used in co n ju n ctio n w ith i t i s one o f th e sta n d a rd masks e q u ip t w ith th e so c a ll e d U n iv e rs a l c a n n i s t e r . On th e o th e r hand, o ur p r i n c i p l e i n w orking t e t r a eth y l lead ourselves has been th a t i f there is any te tra ethyl lead vapor in the a i r th e re is som ething fundam entally wrong w ith the working c o n d itio n s and s te p s should im m ediately be taken to remedy th e se c o n d itio n s. L aboratory work, fo r
in s ta n c e , i s done i s s p e c ia lly c o n stru c te d hoods which in s u re th a t no le a d e th y l vap o r w i l l come o u t in to th e room o r re a c h t h e man who i s doing th e w ork. A n a ly tic al methods can r e a d ily be devised fo r the d eten ain atio n o f lead e th y l vapor, but i t s odor gives a very d e lic a te and v ery sim ple te s t . I f s u ffic ie n t lead e th y l i s p re s e n t in th e atm osphere o f th e la b o ra to ry in which your frie n d i s working, so t h a t i t can be r e a d i l y s m e lle d , we would say t h a t th e r e i s e n t i r e l y to o much, and th a t th e tech n iq u e o r method o f o p e ra tin g should be changed a t once.
Yery tr u l y y o u rs,
WSCDSH
DIRECTOR.
HE 0000839
N 5613.01