Document dYq7Gr04opOe7qdxj0EK1nRy0

J u n e 7 , 19 57 D r . F . L . H offiaan The Bio ch e m ica l R esea r ch F ou n d a tion of the F ra n klin I n s t it u t e Ip ? South 56th S tr e e t P h ila d elp h ia , Pa. Dea r D o ct o r H offm an : I h ave no d ou b t you w ill t h in k me ve r y n e g lig e n t in h a vin g d e la ye d so lo n g in an swerin g you r two l e t t e r s . I h a ve p on d ered over you r s u gge s t io n s and th ose o f o t h e r members o f th e Com m ittee* and I h a ve n o t come t o a n y v e r y d e f i n i t e co n clu sio n s as to what can b e s t be don e to s e r ve th e p u r p o ses of t h e Am erican P u b lic H e a lt h A s s o c ia t io n . I do n ot b e lie v e a com m ittee o f t h is s o r t is l i k e ly t o a cco m p lis h much in a c o n fe r e n c e * o r in a g e n e r a l d is cu s s io n - o f t h e p r o b le m . The o t h e r p e r s o n s on t h e C o m ' t t e e * l i k e o u r s e lv e s * a r o b u s y w it h t h e i r own w o r k , an d a r e m ore i n t e r e s t e d in t h e i r own way o f ap p roach t o t h e problem th an in an y jo in t or con cen t r a t e d a t t a c k u p on i t * YJ hat I h a ve c o n s id e r e d d o in g i s t o a 3 k e a ch m ecfoer o f t h e Com m ittee t o c l a r i f y h is own f i e l d o f w o r k , t o a c c u m u la t e a s m uch in fo r m a t io n as p o s s ib le * and to t h in k in term s o f some p o o lin g of our in fo r m a t io n in t h e for m o f a r e p o r t a t a c o n s id e r a b ly la t e r d a t e . Accu m u lation o f d a t a in exp er im en ta l work ju s t a s th e a ccu m u lation o f s t a t i s t i c a l d a ta r e q u ir e s a lon g p er io d o f tim e . I t i s always th e c r y s t a lliz a t io n o f a c e r t a in p o in t of view* a t le a s t a s t o a m ethod o f a p p r o a ch . I am in c li n e d t o f e e l t h a t p er h a p s t h e b e s t t h a t we c o u ld do w o u ld b e t o t h in k in t h e s e t e r m s an d t o m eet t o g e t h e r in c o n fe r e n c e a t t h o t im e o f t h e Hew Yo r k m e e t in g s o a s t o l a y o u t some s o r t o f c o o p e r a t iv e program fo r th e fo llo w in g yea r * At p r e s e n t I h ave a l l t h e wor k I ca n d o* We h a ve a n e x p e r im e n t a l p r o gr a m u n d er way wh ich * in my o p in io n * i s d ir e c t e d a t some o f t h e m ost fu n d a m e n t a l e x p e r im e n t a l p r o b le m s . We a r e n o t n e a r ly s o m uch in n eod o f fu n d s a s we a r e o f t im e * an d we h a ve a n a d e q u a t e f i e l d o f e xp e r im e n t a t io n . I h a ve no d iffi c u lt y fin d in g my way in t o p la n ts w ith v a r ia b le am ou h ta o f le a d e xp o s u r e * a n d I b e l i e v e we now h a ve t h e b ackgrou n d o f e xp e r ie n ce wh ich m akes i t p o s s ib le to c a p i t a l i z e on th e o p p o r t u n it ie s p r e s e n t e d t o u s . Thus wh at I h a d t o 3 a y in my i n i t i a l l e t t e r t o yo u vas n o t any p le a fo r o p p o r tu n itie s fo r exp erim en tal work. Rath er wh at I m ean t t o s a y was t h a t u n t il t h e fa c t s as t o t h e b e h a vio r o f le a d a r e w e ll known* t h e r e is r e a lly v e r y l i t t l e more t o s a y in t h e form o f r e p o r t s th an h a s a lr e a d y b een s a i d . I t i s my f e e l i n g t h a t i f we d o s a y a n th in g* i t sh ou ld be d ir e ct e d a t th e fo r m u la tio n o f a program wh ich * o ve r a p e r io d o f ye a r s * would s e r v e t o c l a r i f y some of th e m ost n eed ed in fo r m a t io n * an d t o p u t i t i n t o u s e in a p r a c t i c a l w a y. You s a y in y o u r f i r s t l e t t e r t h a t . i t wou ld be im p o r ta n t t o d eter m in e t h e c o r r e c t n e s s o f my s t a t e m e n t t h a t 5,t h e in c id e n c e o f le a d p o is o n in g in in d u s t r y i s u n n e c e s s a r i ly h ig h 1' . I t a k e I t t h a t you mean b y t h a t t h a t i t is - I m p o r t a n t to make t h is c le a r t o wor ker s in in d u s t r ia l h a za r d s . That my statem en t Is tr u e and r e q u ir e s no p r o o f-to p e o p le who a r e fa m i li a r w it h p la n t a c t i v i t i e s * an d who a t th e same tim e a r e fa m ilia r w ith s a fe t y m easu res* is w it h o u t q u e s t io n * I mad t h e s t a t e m e n t n o t a s a m a t t e r of d is cu s sio n * bu t as a t r u e m a t t e r o f fa c t on the b a s is o f my own p e r s o n a l o b s e r v a t i o n s . I f a n yo n e d o u b t s i t * I can t a k e him t o le a d p la n t s in wh ich t h e le a d e xp o su r e i s 3 0 g r e a t t h a t a laym an ca n s e e i t * an d in wh ich ca s e s , o f lo a d p o is o n in g r a n ge a l l t h e way from t h e m ild e s t t yp e to fa t a l en cep h a lop a th y. There may n ot be many o f su ch p la n ts l e f t bu t t h e r e a r e some wh ich I h a ve v is i t e d and a b o u t wh ich I h ave p e r so n a l kn ow led ge. In fa c t * th e r e a r e a number o f s t a t e s in th e U n ite d States in wh ich th e c o n d it io n s , so fa r as lea d exposu re is con cern ed* a re ver y l i t t l e b e t t e r th an werev'g^ cen tu ry a go . In th ese s t a t e s , s t a t i s t i c a l s tu d ie s , th at is to s a y, stu d ies of the v it a l s t a t is t ic s , w o u ld b e a co m p le t e w a s t e o f a n yo n e l s t im e . :Ch ere a r e a few s t a t i s t i c s and t h o s e t h a t a r e a v a i l a b l e a r e w h o lly in a d eq u a te and in a ccu r a t e . In su ch in s t a n ce s one h as t o c o l l e c t h i s own s t a t i s t i c a l d a t a b e fo r e h e ca n b e g in t o a n a lys e i t . These p la ce s a r e t h e ve r y on es wh ich a p u b lic h e a lt h o r g a n iza t io n wou ld w ish t o r e a c h . Ye t th ey a r e th e ones wh ich none o f ou r cu r r e n t m ethods do r o a ch . P r e ve n t ive m easu res h a ve im proved* g e n e r a lly sp ea kin g* a s th e r e s u lt o f th e p r essu r e e it h e r of p u b lic op in ion * le g is la t io n or of ed u ca tio n . I put ed u cation in th e la s t p la ce a d vis e d ly fo r I th in k i t is the le a s t e ffe c t iv e of th e th r ee typ es of p r essu r e. I th in k i t is fa ir ly g e n e r a lly tr u e th a t - in d u s t r y knows b e t t e r th an i t d o es. I t le a r n s t h a t som eth in g can be done and th en is su b seq u en tly k ick e d in t o d o in g i t when i t ca n no lo n g e r g e t away w it h i t s o ld e r m e t h o d s . I abh or le g is la t io n a s a means o f a cco m p lish in g h yg ie n ic en d s, an d a t t h e sam e t im e I t I s my f e e l i n g t h a t we s h a l l p r o b a b ly h o ve r b e a b le t o make an y ge n e r a l a p p lic a t io n o f th e a v a ila b le in fo r m a t io n on t h e s i g n i fi c a n c e o f le a d exp o su r e u n t i l some o f th e e x is t in g le g is la t io n h as been cle a r e d away and r e p la ce d by cle a n -cu t d e fin it io n s o f h azard ou s exp o su r e. Befo r e such le g is la t io n la fe a s ib le * th e ia su e w ill h ave to be c le a r ly d e fin e d in s c ie n t ific term s. KE 0009116 3- I t h in k you w i l l s e e r a t h e r e l- e a r ly from t h is th at; 1 h a ve no v e r y d e f i n i t e p rogram in m in d f o r t h e wor k o f ou r Com m ittee* T h e r e fo r e I s h a ll a s k th e va r io u s members t o go o ve r th e wh ole p r o b le m , t o c l a r i f y t h e i r own id e a s on i t , an d t o t a k e p a r t in a g e n e r a l d i s c u s s i o n fc t h e t im e o f t h e New Yo r k m e e t in g * I sh ou ld be p le a se d to h ave a n y s u g g e s t io n s o r a n y com ments w h ich you may ch o o s e t o make on wh at X h a ve s a id a b ove* Co r d ia lly you rs, H AKjis R o b er t A*Se h o e , M.D. K% 0009117