Document a4j4oZ9vGz8048YvDwvXy9j29
A u gu st lip , 191+0
D r s. H ow el l an d Rubi n w er e c a l l e d on t h e t el ep h o n e
and t h e c ases were d i sc u ssed . I t was l ear n ed fr om D r. Rubi n t h at one w o r k er , H r . So b o l esk i , h ad d i ed d u r i n g t h e n i g h t , and
a number o f o t h er workmen wer e i l l . A l l h ad t o a g r eat er or l e ss d egr ee t h e sym pt oms o f l e ad i n t o x i c a t i o n b u t n on e, w i t h t h e ex cep t i o n o f M r .M H M V w h o was under t h e car e o f h i s f am i l y p h y si c i an , D r . H ow e^ ^ ^ w as i n a h o sp i t a l . M ost o f t h e men w er e
v er y n er v o u s, w er e u n ab l e t o sl e e p , h ad h ead ach es and d i st u r b i n g d r eam s. Some h ad vom i t ed and w er e n au seat ed . I t was su ggest ed t h at t h ey be co n t act ed and i f p o ssi b l e an y who showed t h e sl i g h t e st
symptoms be sen t t o t h e h o sp i t al f o r o b ser v at i o n . W it h t h e i d ea o f b ei n g ab l e t o l o c at e t h ese men i f i t w er e n ec essar y t o see them at home, M r. W ise t ook M r. D ees b y c ar t o t h e v ar i o u s homes o f t h ese men
t o f a c i l i t a t e v i si t i n g them l a t e r . R e l a t i v e t o t h e co n t ac t i n g o f t h ese men I qu ot e fr om M r. D ees' r ep o r t .
"A .C. So b o l esk i , who h ad been i n t h e Sou t h B a l t i m or e
Gen er al H o sp i t al , was r ep o r t ed d eceased . M r.
was
r ep o r t ed as h av i n g been t ak en t o t h e T Jn i v er si l ^ ^ y o sp l ^ SK I n
at t em p t i n g t o l ea r n t h e names o f o t h er workmen, as t h er e h ad been
''ei g h t su i t s o f c l o t h i n g " and o n l y si x men r ep o r t ed a t t h at t i m e as
h avi n g been i n t h e t an k , t h e w r i t e r d r ove M r. W ise t o t he homes o f
t h r ee o t h er workmen, Joh n Ri eb san , C u r t i s H arman, and A l f r ed Po o l e.
M r. W ise o b t ai n ed i n f o r m at i o n f o r an ac c i d en t r ep o r t on Joh n Ri eb san ,
as he was r ep o r t ed si c k . C u r t i s Harman sai d t h at he h ad h ad a
r eac t i o n b u t was s t i l l w or k i n g a t t h e DuPont p l an t . M r. Poo l e was
r ep o r t ed b y a member o f h i s f am i l y as w or k i n g at t h e f e r t i l i z e r
p l an t and f e e l i n g a l l r i g h t .
I t was t h en l ear n ed from M r. 'Wise t h at H er b er t Sch m i d t h ad been i n t h e cr ew . H i s ad d r ess was unknown and M r. W ise p r om i sed t o t r y t o l o c at e h i m . I t was al so l ear n ed t h en t h at Ch ar l es H arman, who was t h en w or k i n g a t t he p l an t as y ar d man, h ad been i n t he t an k f o r a few m i n u t es Sat u r d ay m or n i n g. A f t er l u n ch i t was l ear n ed t h at
Ch est er Koc h ad b een i n t h e t an k on Sat u r d ay m or n i n g, m ak in g a t o t a l o f t w el v e men. H er b er t Sch m i d t r ep o r t ed a t t h e p l an t e a r l y i n t h e af t er n o o n , ad v i si n g t h at h e w as s i c k . 1'
I n t h e m eant im e t h e l o c a l d o ct o r s w er e co n t act ed and i t was l ear n ed t h at an au t o p sy w ould be p er f or m ed a t el ev en a.m . a t t h e c i t y m orgue on M r. So b o l esk i . Su i t ab l e co n t ai n er s wer e p r o cu r ed and t h e m orgue was v i s i t e d a t el ev en i n o r d er t o vi ew t h e au t o p sy an d , i f p o ssi b l e , o b t ai n speci m en s f o r a n a l y si s. Due
t o a new l aw i n Bal t i m o r e t h i s was n o t p er m i t t ed so n ei t h er t h e at t en d i n g d o ct o r s n or m y sel f w er e p er m i t t ed t o be p r esen t a t t h e
au t o p sy. The m ed i cal exam i n er , h ow ever , sai d a n a l y t i c a l w ork would be don e.
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W h ile M essr s. D ees and W ise wer e l o c a t i n g t h e homes
o f t h e men I i n v est i g at ed t h e d i sp o si t i o n o f t h e sl u d ge a t t h e
t er m i n al . I t was fou n d t o h ave been d ep o si t ed i n t h r ee open p i t s ,
one o f w h i ch was l a r g e r and l o c at ed b esi d e t h e cl ean ed t an k . I t
co n t ai n ed t h e b u l k o f t h e h eavy sl u d ge w h i ch was b u ck et ed from t h e
t an k , w h i l e t h e o t h er t w o, some d i st an c e fr om t h e 't a n k , co n t ai n ed w at er and l i g h t e r m at er i al w h i ch was pumped fr om t h e t an k . (An at t ach ed ch ar t w i l l show t h e ap p r oxi m at e d i st a n c e s.) W i t h i n 10- 15 f e e t fr om t h e sl u d ge p i t n ear est t h e t an k ( ap p r o x i m at el y 10 f e e t fr om t h e t an k ) t h er e was a d i st i n c t odor o f decom posed l ead , and
t h i s odor al so was o b ser ved when on t op o f t h e n ear b y d i k e ( ap p r o x i m at el y 15 f e e t above t h e p i t ) . I m m edi at e ar r an gem en t s w er e made t o h ave t h e p i t s co v er ed . The two men who w er e t o do t h i s work w er e t o w ear g l o v e s, b o o t s, cl ean c l o t h e s, an d .c an i st er gas
m ask s, a l l o f w hich were p r o v i d ed . They w er e t o co ver t h e p i t
n ear est t h e t an k f i r s t and t h en p r o ceed t o co v er t h e r em ai n i n g two p i t s and t u r n over t h e s o i l bet w een t h e t an k and t h e p i t a f t e r
f i r s t co v er i n g t h e sl u d ge and con t am i n at ed s o i l w i t h gen er ou s q u a n t i t i es o f l i m e. T h i s work w as l e f t t o t h e su p er v i si o n o f M r. D ees, who had M r. Cr on i n p r esen t d u r i n g t h e t im e r eq u i r ed t o do t h e w or k , i t b ei n g F r i d ay b ef o r e work was r ep o r t ed n ear i n g co m p l et i o n . Sl u d ge sam p l es wer e o b t ai n ed an d ex p r essed t o t he K et t er i n g L ab o r at o r y f o r an al y si s ( see at t ach ed l e t t e r ) .
The t o t a l number o f men i n v o l v ed i n t h e t an k cl ean i n g o p er at i o n s w er e fou n d t o be t w el v e - some ad d i t i o n al men h av i n g
been h i r ed f o r work on A u gu st 9 and 10 a f t e r some o f t h e o r i g i n a l cr ew becam e i l l . Two o t h er men h ad been w or k i n g ab ou t t h e p l an t d u r i n g t h e -week, b u t fr om h i st o r y o b t ai n ed h ad n ot b e e n ^ ^ A ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
t an k a n d h a f M r m ^ n l f l e a n t ex p o su r e. T h ei r names w e r e ^ ^ H | ^ ^ ^ ^ H v ( A t t ach ed i s a l i s t o f t h e men i n ^ ^ R ec ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
o b t a^ ^ H ^ u r o n ^ n ^ p ay r o l l at t h e p l an t and f u r n i sh ed b y M r. W i se.)
At n oon , a f t e r t a l k i n g w i t l w b ^ Jh w e l l , a v i s i t was made
t o t h e U n i v er si t y H o sp i t al w h er e M r. t H U I ^ H ^ ad been t ak en .
_______
D r . M au r i ce P i n c o f f s was co n t act ed and t h e case d i sc u ssed . Mr
was i r r a t i o n a l and i t was i m p o ssi b l e and i n ad v i sab l e t o at t em p t
o b t ai n an y h i st o r y fr om h i m . A dequat e t r eat m en t h ad been i n st i t u t e d
on h i s a r r i v a l a t t h e h o sp i t a l on t h e m o r n i n g- o f t h e l l q t h . The
.
cases w er e d i sc u ssed w i t h D r . W i l k er so n , who was i n ch ar ge o f t h e
r em ai n i n g men i n v o l v ed , and i t was l ear n ed t h at f o u r men wer e
ad m i t t ed t o t h e Sou t h Bal t i m o r e H o sp i t al f o r o b ser v at i o n on t h e
af t er n o o n o f t h e ll gbh . T h ese men -were:
L at er an o t h er w o r k er , < X o h n ^ m | | ^ was h o sp i t a l i z e d at t h e Sou t h Bal t i m o r e Gen er al H o sp i t al f o r o b ser v at i o n on A u gu st l 6 .
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D urin g t h e aft er n o o n o f t h e lij.t h M r. Ben n er , Ch i ef En gi n eer o f t h e East er n D i v i si o n o f T i d ew at er A sso ci at ed , ar r i v ed fr om hew Yo r k , and l a t e r t h e e n t i r e si t u a t i o n was d i sc u ssed w i t h him.
D u r i n g t h e f o l l o w i n g two d ays v i s i t s w er e made d u r i n g t h e m or n i n gs, af t er n o o n s and n i g h t s t o t h e h o sp i t a l s t o o b ser v e t h e p at i en t s and su ch h i st o r i e s w er e o b t ai n ed as w er e p o ssi b l e w i t h o u t u n d u l y e x c i t i n g t hem. A number o f d i sc u ssi o n s w er e h el d w i t h M r. Ben n er and M r. D ees. Sam ples o f b l o o d an d u r i n e w er e o b t ai n ed fr om each p at i en t i n t h e h o sp i t a l s f o r Pb a n a l y si s.
M r. O scar L ew i s a r r i v e d fr om New Yor k on A ugu st 15 , an d he an d M r. D ees v i si t e d t h e't er m i n al and l a t e r M r. L ew i s was seen at t he h o t e l . The p o s s i b i l i t y of secu r i n g a se c t i o n 'o f h ose fr om t h e a i r l i n e m ask t h at w as u sed i n t h e t an k c l ean i n g o p er at i o n was d i sc u ssed w i t h Mr. Ben n er an d M r. L ew i s. The h ose i s t o be i n sp ec t ed and an y p o r t i o n t h at h as poor or a br ok en co v er i n g i s t o be o b t ai n ed . A l so , i f p o ssi b l e t o d i f f e r e n t i a t e bet w een t h e sect i o n s, t h at p o r t i o n w h ich was d r agged t h r ou gh t h e sl u d ge i s t o be o b t ai n ed . ( See at t ach ed l e t t e r . )
D u r i n g t h e af t er n o o n and even i n g o f A u gu st 15 t h r ee men fr om t h e t er m i n al who d i d some work i n c l ean i n g t h e t an k b u t w er e n ot h o sp i t a l i z e d were exam i n ed . They w er e:
None showed an y evi d en ce o f abn or m al l ead ab so r p t i o n . Sp ot u r i n e sam p l es w er e o b t ai n ed fr om each f o r Pb a n a l y si s.
D r . Joh n M. M cD onald, D i r ec t o r o f Bu r eau o f O ccu p at i o n al D i seases, Bal t i m o r e C i t y H eal t h D epar t m en t , c a l l e d a t t h e h o t el w i t h M r. W ilm er H. Sch u l z e, D i r ec t o r o f San i t ar :/ Sec t i o n , Bal t i m o r e C i t y H eal t h D epar t m en t , and d i sc u ssed t h e ac c i d en t i n i t s g en er al asp ec t s. They ap p ear ed s a t i s f i e d i t was p u r el y an ac c i d en t .
L e sl i e J. Sch r ad i n , M .D.
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