Document b5d1K5GnOBJ623L5ORJrDyQ3o

rX. ,T. COIWEIL, President JOHN N. COLE, Vice Preiident C. H. VAN HARTESV61DT, Vice President <Ihompson \!ta-Meter Corporation A WHOUY-OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THOMPSON PRODUCTS, INC. PLEASE DIRECT REPLY TO C. H. VAN HARTESVELDT 6402 CEDAR AVENUE CLEVELAND 3. OHIO 23555 EUCLID AVENUE Cleveland 17, Ohio July 12, 1943 Robert A. Kehoe, M. D. University of Cincinnati Kettering Laboratory of Applied Physiology Eden Avenue Cincinnati 19, Ohio Dear Dr. Kehoe: As brought out in our discussion of July 3, 1943 Vitameters will be placed on general sale in the city of Columbus, Ohio beginning in September of this year. The anti-detonant solution to be sold for use in the Vitameter will be that currently under test in your labora tory. It is our desire that you and your staff participate in our commercial experiment in Columbus to determine safely the actual hazards in the distribution and use of Vitol, and to make recommenda tions on methods for expansion of this distribution at a later date. Discussions with Shell Oil Company executives have brought out that sealed quart cans may be the best way to dispense Vitol in service stations in Columbus. These cans would be equivalent in all respects to those now used for motor oil and anti-freeze and offer the following safety features in comparison with dispensing the solu tion from drums: 1. Eliminates fire and poison hazards from dripping drum taps and from spilling when drawing from drum. 2. Makes re-use of container impractical. 3. Makes unnecessary the filling of miscellaenous containers to carry on trips. 4. Prevents accidental dilution with water. Consequently, we will make every effort to have Vitol canned for sale in Columbus and we would like to have you or your staff inspect and approve the canning process to be used from the standpoint of exposure of canning plant personnel to the methanol and tetraethyl lead. As soon as I can locate facilities for this work I will get in Robert A. Kehoe, M. D. University of Cincinnati Kettering Laboratory Cincinnati, Ohio -2 - 7/12/43 touch with you again. In our Columbus sales effort the cans of Vitol will be stored at one central warehouse from which they will be issued to Shell service stations and to car dealers making Vitameter installations. As a general rule these car dealers will dispense small amounts of Vitol in comparison with service station sales. Methods of storage and dispensing for car dealer outlets should also be under your observation. Approximately twenty thousand gallons of solution-will be canned making a total of eight;/* thousand quarts. We estimate that this amount should last for four months after the product goes on sale. We will appreciate your advising public health officials on the effort we are making in Columbus, the part you and your staff will take in it, and our intention to be guided by results obtained in any sub sequent expansion of our commercial effort. CHVH:sg cc: A. T. Colwell J. M. Cole E. H. Reading Eben Jones 0020645