Document e1nEvXgBLBpYNmbLybpvGv0ep

A STUDY OF THE POSSI BLE PUBLI C HEALTH HAZARDS ARI SI NG FROMTHE USE OF TETRAETHYL LEAD I N THE AUTOMOBI LE by FRED. B. FLI NN, Ph. D. , . As s i s t ant Pr of es s or of Phys i ol ogy i n I ndus t r i al Hygi ene, Col umbi a Uni ver s i t y, Col l ege of Phys i ci ans and Sur geons. Dat ed, May, 1925, Pr i nt ed i n U. S. A. A STUDY OF THE POSSI BLE PUBLI C HEALTH HAZARDS ARI SI NG FROMTHE USE OF TETRAETHYL LEAD I N THE AUTOMOBI LE by FRED B. FLI NN, Ph. D. , As s i s t ant Pr of es s or of Phys i ol ogy i n I ndus t r i al Hygi ene, Col umbi a Uni ver s i t y, Col l ege of Phys i ci ans and Sur geons. The Labor at or y of I ndus t r i al Hygi ene, Depar t ment of Phys i ol ogy, Col umbi a Uni ver s i t y, was i nvi t ed by t he Medi cal Commi t t ee of t he Et hyl Gasol i ne Cor por at i on t o make an i ndependent s t udy of t he pos s i bl e hazar ds t o t he publ i c f r om t he pr opos ed use of t et r a et hyl l ead i n t he gas ol i ne sol d t o aut omobi l i st s. Tet r a et hyl l ead i s a col or l ess l i qui d wi t h a speci f i c gr avi t y of 1. 62 at 15 degr ees C. , boi l i ng at 200 degr ees C. , but not wi t hout decompos i t i on. I t I s a l i poi d sol vent , at t acks r ubber and i s i nsol ubl e i n wat er . I t i s due t o bhe f act t hat i t i s a l i poi d s ol vent t hat makes i t a hazar d t hr ough ski n abs or pt i on. l Yhen expos ed t o sunl i ght or evapor at ed i t decompos es and f or ms as one of i t s decompos i t i on pr oduct s t r i - et hyl l ead, - anot her poi s onous compound whos e pr oper t i es have been s t udi ed by Har nack. Yi hen us ed i n t he aut omobi l e i t i s added t o gas ol i ne/ t oget her wi t h an or gani c hal i de i n t he pr opor t i on of 1000 par t s of gas ol i ne t o one par t of t he l ead compound, whi ch mi xt ur e i s known t o t he t r ade as et hyl gas ol i ne. As t he Bur eau of Mi nes had al r eady been st udyi ng t he pos s i bl e hazar ds t o t he publ i c f r om exhaus t gases f r om engi nes us i ng t hi s et hyl gasol i ne, t he Medi cal Commi t t ee s ugges t ed t hat Col umbi a Uni ver s i t y conf i ne t hei r ef f or t s t o t he f ol l owi ng pos s i bl e hazar ds; - - ( 1) The pos s i bl e hazar d t o t he gar age man who mi ght get a f ew dr ops _ of t he concent r at ed mat er i al on hi s cl ot hes or per s on f r om t i me t o t i me as he was addi ng t he l ead compound t o t he gas ol i ne at t he Ser vi ce St at i on. (2) The pos s i bl e hazar d t hat mi ght ar i s e f r om s pl as hi ng et hyl gaso- l i ne ( 1000 t o 1 mi xt ur e) on t he per son; f r om cl eani ng t he hands or cl ot hes by t he mechani c or housewi f e; i n adj ust i ng t he car bur et er or cl eani ng out t he gas l i ne or t ank* et c. ( 3) The pos s i bl e danger f r om t he . i nhal at i on of et hyl gasol i ne f umes f r om s pi l l age i n t he gar age and ot her pl aces wher e - vapor i zat i on may t ake pl ace. Bef or e ova: exper i ment s wer e pr oduct i ve of r esul t s, an exper i ment al pl ant of t he St andar d Oi l Company of Hew Jer sey, at Bayway, whi l e engaged i n a st udy f or t he i mpr ovement i n t he met hod of manuf act ur i ng t et r a et hyl l ead, had an unf or t unat e exper i ence. I n spi t e of pr ecaut i on t aken by t he manuf ac t ur er , a number of men became poi s oned at one t i me and wer e pl aced under ob- ' s er vat i on at t he Recons t r uct i on Hospi t al , Hew Yor k Ci t y. One man di ed bef or e t he men wer e sent t o t he hos pi t al . The sympt oms of t he wor s t cases wer e t hose des cr i bed by sever al wr i t er s i n cas es of acut e l ead poi s oni ng and wer e ver y si mi l ar t o t hos e pr oduced by et hyl al cohol . I n t he sever e cases t her e wer e i ndi cat i ons of pr of ound cer ebr al di s t ur bances . The vi ct i m suf f er ed f r om per s i s t ent i ns omni a and became del us i onal , ext r aor di nar i l y r est l ess and t al k- at i ve. Ther e was an exagger at ed movement of al l t he mus cl es of t he body. The pat i ent became mani acal and may have di ed i n exhaust i on. Four of t he men t r ans f er r ed t o t he hos pi t al di ed wi t hi n a f ew days. The r est of t he men wer e di s char ged f r om t he hos pi t al af t er r ecei vi ng t he pr oper t r eat ment . l i hi l e st udyi ng t hese cases at t he Recons t r uct i on Hospi t al , t he ex cr et a of 29 of t he pat i ent s wer e exami ned and l ead was f ound i n t he st ool s of 18 men. St i ppl ed cel l s wer e f ound i n t he bl ood of ni ne out of t wel ve men exami ned by t hi s l abor at or y. We coul d not det ect any l ead i n sweat col l ect ed f r om a number of t he men s ubj ect ed t o t her mal bat hs . Test s wer e al s o made on t he ski n wi t h ammoni um sul phi de but l i kewi se gave no r eact i on. Sever al sampl es KE 0018808 - 3- of spi nal f l ui d gave negat i ve r es ul t s as wel l * The r epor t of t he Chi ef Medi cal Exami ner of New Yor k Ci t y of t he aut ops i es per f or med on t he f our men who di ed at t he hospi t al , r eveal s no speci al gr oss pat hol ogi cal f i ndi ngs . Wi t hout a chemi cal anal ys i s or knowl edge as t o wher e t he men had wor ked one woul d have been unabl e t o say t hat l ead was t he cause of t hei r deat h. Thi s of cour s e i s i n agr eement wi t h our past know l edge as t o t he pat hol ogi cal or hi s t ol ogi cal f i ndi ngs i n l ead cases. The aut ops i es det er mi ned t he cause of deat h "pendi ng chemi cal exam i nat i on and i nves t i gat i on as hemor r hagi c, br oncho- pneumoni a, vi s cer al conges t i on" i n t wo cases, "hemor r hagi c br oncho- pneumoni a, s econdar y anemi a" i n t he t hi r d and f our t h "gener al vi s cer al conges t i on. " We have gi ven t hes e dat a as an ai d t o a bet t er under s t andi ng of our own f i ndi ngs. ' The Et hyl Gasol i ne Cor por at i on pr opos ed t o r emove any pos s i bl e Publ i c Heal t h Hazar d f r om t he concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead by del i ver i ng onl y t he 1000 t o 1 mi xt ur e t o t he f i l l i ng st at i on. I t i s t hought t o l es s en t he pos s i bl e hazar d t hr ough t he ski n abs or pt i on*when handl i ng t he di l ut e mi xt ur e by addi ng a r ed dye t o t he mi xt ur e. Thi s pr event s t he hous ewi f e f r om cl eani ng her gl oves or cl ot hes wi t h gas ol i ne dr awn f r om t he gas t ank of her hus band' s aut omobi l e. - 4- A1I;MAL TEgSRlMSMTS Ani mal s ; Mat ur ed r abbi t s, gui nea pi gs, goat s, r at s and monkeys wer e us ed i n t hi s wor k. The ani mal s wer e kept under obs er vat i on f or a per i od of t i me bef or e usi ng and t hei r wei ght s and t emper at ur es car ef ul l y not ed dur i ng t he whol e ser i es of exper i ment s. The bl ood of t he r abbi t s and goat s was car ef ul l y exam i ned f or r ed, whi t e and di f f er ent i al count s, as wel l as f or st i ppl ed cel l s. The cont r ol ani mal s wer e kept f r om t he t r eat ed ani mal s so t hat t hey woul d not have a chance t o accumul at e l ead i n any way. Out si de of t hi s pr ecaut i on al l of t he ani mal s wer e t r eat ed i n t he same manner . Sampl es of f eces wer e col l ect ed f r om t i me t o t i me and exami ned f or l ead. Met hods of Exami nat i on: Thr ee st ai ns wer b us ed i n exami ni ng t he bl ood f or st i ppl ed cel l s, - Fr i ght , Gi l ber t and a modi f i cat i on of t he Lei s hman's s t ai n s ugges t ed by t he Ont ar i o Repor t on Lead. Lead: N The bodi es wer e bur nt at a l ow t emper at ur e over a gas f l ame so as t o avoi d any vol at i l i zat i on of l ead. The chr omat e met hod des cr i bed by Fai r hal l was us ed i n t he act ual det er mi nat i on of l ead. Los i ng of Ani mal s i n t he Ski n Abs or pot i on Test s: We det er mi ned at t he begi nni ng of our wor k t hat a man woul d have ap pr oxi mat el y t en cc l ef t on hi s hands af t er was hi ng t hem and bef or e dr yi ng t hem on was t e or t owel . Us i ng t hi s as a bas i s we dos ed our ani mal s i n t he same pr o por t i on, t aki ng t he wei ght f or man as 70 ki l os . We f el t t hat t hi s was as near as we coul d come t o dupl i cat i ng an i ndus t r i al condi t i on. I n t he case of a spi l l age t he exposur e woul d be much gr eat er . However i f l ead st or age t ook HE 001S610 - 5' pl ace wi t h our appr oxi mat el y smal l dai l y expos ur e one may be s ur e of a gr eat er abs or pt i on wi t h t he l ar ger exposur e. The et hyl gas ol i ne was al l owed t o f l ow sl owl y f r om a s mal l pi pet t e on t o t he uni nj ur ed, ski n by pushi ng t he hai r asi de wher e pos s i bl e. lAihen s havi ng was necessar y, t he ani mal was not dos ed on t he s haven ar ea f or sever al days. The gas ol i ne was appl i ed t o var i ous par t s of t he body wi t h t he except i on of t he goat s whi ch wer e dos ed ei t her on t he neck or si de. Car e was t aken never t o appl y t he gasol i ne t o any br oken ski n. The dos i ng of t he ani mal s t ook pl ace dai l y except Sundays and hol i days except when f eces wer e bei ng col l ect ed. At t he begi nni ng of our wor k, we wer e i ncl i ned t o t hi nk t hat t he ac t ual poi s oni ng t ook pl ace t hr ough i nges t i on or i nhal at i on. Rabbi t s and gui nea pi gs have t he habi t of cl eani ng t hei r f ur wi t h t he t ongue, and not onl y can t hey be s een doi ng t hi s t o t hei r own bodi es but t o ot her ani mal s of t he same speci es. "We t r i ed t o over come t hi s by pl aci ng j acket s on t he ani mal s, but t hes e j acket s got t or n and obs er vat i on l ed one t o t he opi ni on t hat i t i nt er f e r e s wi t h t he phys i ol ogi cal act i vi t i es of t he ani mal . Nor mal ani mal s di ed wi t hout r ecei vi ng any exposur e. I t was f or t hi s r eas on t hat we deci ded t o us e goat s as wel l as t he smal l er ani mal s i n our wor k. They ar e a har dy ani mal and so f ar as we have obs er ved have no t endency t o l i ck t hemsel ves. To det er mi ne whet her abs or pt i on r eal l y di d t ake pl ace t hr ough t he s ki n and not by i nges t i on or i nhal at i on we made t he f ol l owi ng t es t s : Thr ee cat s at di f f er ent t i mes wer e anes t het i zed wi t h et her . Tr acheot omy was per f or med and a canul a pl aced i n t he car ot i d so as t o obser ve t he bl ood pr es sur e and r espi r at i on. The t ube f r om t he t r achea was l ed away f r om t he body i n such a way t hat t her e was no chance f or t he ani mal t o i nhal e any of t he f umes. To f ur t her s af eguar d any acci dent al br eat hi ng i n of any t et r a et hyl l ead f umes, an exhaus t f an was pl aced near t he body t o dr aw of f any f umes f r om K F 0018811 - 6- t he head. I n addi t i on an el ect r i c f an was pl aced near t he head of t he cat as a f ur t her pr ecaut i on, 6 cc of concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead was al l owed t o f l ow f r om a pi pet t e on t o +he cl i pped abdomen and a r ecor d t aken on t he kymogr aph so t hat any change i n bl ood pr es s ur e or r es pi r at i on r at e coul d be not ed. One of t he cat s di ed wi t hi n el even mi nut es whi l e t he ot her t wo l i ved an hour and t wo hour s r es pect i vel y. As f ar as our r ecor ds s how t her e does not seem t o be any change i n t he bl ood pr es s ur e or r es pi r at i on r at e. As soon as our cat s di ed -i t he ski n' s wer e was hed t hor oughl y wi t h al cohol t o r emove any t et r a et hyl l ead t hat mi ght st i l l r emai n on i t . The cat was t hen qui ckl y s ki nned and t he abdomen opened up f or exami nat i on. Bl i s t er s wer e obs er ved i n each cas e al l t hr ough t he abdomi nal r egi on and t he i nt est i ne had a pecul i ar bl ui s h hue. The odor of t he chemi cal was qui t e di s t i nct when t he abdomi nal cavi t y was f i r s t opened. Af t er t hi s gr os s exami nat i on t he whal e body wi t h t he except i on of t he ski n was bur nt and t he l ead cont ent s det er mi ned. The aver age l ead cont ent of t he t hr ee cat s us ed i n t hes e exper i ment s was f ound t o be 0. 651 gr ams of l ead. Thi s exper i ment woul d seem t o i ndi cat e t hat t her e i s no doubt t hat t hi s l ead compound i s - qui ck '> l y abs or bed t hr ough t he s ki n and i f bv_ any . chance any shoul d get on t he s ki n i t mus t be i mmedi at el y was hed of f wi t h ker os ene and gr een soap. InTater and or di nar y soap wi l l not r emove i t . The abi l i t y of t he t et r a et hyl l ead compound t o ent er t he body t hr ough t he ski n r eadi l y br i ngs us f ace t o f ace wi t h a compar at i vel y new l ead hazar d. I t s houl d be emphas i zed t hat t he above exper i ment s wer e made wi t h t he concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead, and not wi t h t he 1000 t o 1 di l ut i on. Ha zar d f rom, Ski n Cont act : Thi s par t of t he r es ear ch has t o do wi t h t he pos s i bl e hazar d t hat may exi s t f r om t he di l ut e gasol i ne comi ng i n cont act wi t h t he ski n and a s ubsequent abs or pt i on i nt o t he body of t he mi nut e quant i t y of t he l ead compound pr es ent i n - 7- t he gasol i ne. Rabbi t s, gui nea pi gs and goat s wer e us ed i n t hi s par t of t he st udy. Summar y of Rabbi t Exper i ment s : Each ani mal r ecei ved 0, 30 cc of a 1000 par t s of gas ol i ne t o 1 par t of t et r a et hyl l ead mi xt ur e. I t was ap- l i ed t o t he unbr oken s ki n by means of a smal l pi pet t e, appl i ed pr act i cal l y dai l y unt i l t he ani mal di ed. The number of expos ur es t hat t he ani mal under went var i ed f r om 6 t o 187. 28 ani mal s whi ch have di ed: Temper at ur e I ni t i al 38. 9 deg. C. Fi nal 38. 8 deg. C. "ei ght " 2. 111 ki l os " 2. 03 ki l os Red Bl ood Count " 4. 87 " 4. 86 St i ppl ed cel l s wer e f ound i n t he bl ood of 14 of t he r abbi t s t hat have di ed. The t wo r abbi t s dyi ng af t er r ecei vi ng but 6 and 13 doses showed onl y t r aces of l ead when t hey wer e bur nt and t hei r car casses wer e exami ned f or l ead. An aver age of 2. 10 mgs of l ead per ki l os of body wei ght was f ound i n t he bodi es of exami ned ani mal s. The quant i t y of l ead accumul at i ng i n t he body does not al ways f oi l g w t he number of expos ur es t hat t he ani mal s wer e subj ect t o. But i t her e s eemed t o be a t endency t o have an i ncr eas ed l ead st or age wi t h t he gr eat er exposur e. Excr et i on: The aver age r at e of excr et i on as shown by f r equent exami nat i on of t he f eces seemed t o i ndi cat e t hat i t was appr oxi mat el y 0. 044 mgs per 24 hour s and i t does not appar ent l y i ncr eas e wi t h t he gr eat er s t or age of l ead. Gener al l y a f ew days bef or e t he ani mal di ed i t became qui et and hunched up as i f s uf f er i ng f r om col i c. Four of t he r abbi t s s howed t r emor s and spas ms bef or e deat h. One r abbi t r ecei vi ng 185 appl i cat i ons became compl et el y par al yzed i n t he hi nd quar t er s sever al days bef or e deat h. Thi s ani mal showed 8- 4. 90' mg of l ead per ki l o of body wei ght . Sever al of -the r abbi t s abor t ed but t he f et us was not exami ned f or l ead. r ^-~ Aut opsy; An aut ops y was per f or med on each ani mal t hat di ed and r eveal ed not hi ng mor e t han was f ound i n t he cont r ol ani mal s when t hey wer e ki l l ed or di ed, except t hat t her e was t he cons i s t ent pr es ence of a whi t e bl ood cl ot ' i n t he r i ght aur i ol e of t he l eaded ani mal s. Thi s was al s o obs er ved i n sever al s uppos edl y nor mal ani mal s. The ant e mor t em cl ot i s us ual l y account ed f or by a s l owi ng down of t he ci r cul at i on. I f t hi s i s t he cor r ect expl anat i on i t wi l l cor r obor at e what has been obs er ved on men who have been expos ed t o t he com pound, - namel y a l ower bl ood pr essur e. One man i n whos e 24 hour ur i ne sampl e we had f ound 12 mgs of l ead had a syst ol i c pr es s ur e of 90 Exper i ment s on Gui nea Pi gs ; 10 pi gs wer e us ed i n t hi s par t of t he exper i ment . They r ecei ved 0. 10 cc of t he 1000. t o 1 mi xt ur e n t hei r unbr oken ski n dai l y unt i l deat h. The num ber of expos ur es var i ed f r om 10 t o 46. Wei ght ; I ni t i al 448. 8 * Fi nal 394. 3 The aver age l ead per ki l o body vr ei ght 'was f ound t o be 1. 07 mgs. Thr ee pi gs had convul s i ons and t r emor s bef or e deat h. Exper i ment s on Goat s ; 7 goat s wer e gi ven 2 cc of t he 1000 t o 1 mi xt ur e dai l y. These goat s ar e st i l l al i ve. Thei r expos ur es have var i ed f r om 79 t o 107. Two of t hese goat s have abor t ed and an anal ysi s of t he f et us showed t hat i t cont ai ned mgs. of l ead. St i ppl ed cel l s wer e not f ound i n t he bl ood f or over t wo mont hs but have i ncr eas ed i n number s si nce. One of t he goat s whi ch has r ecei ved 107. dos es of t he di l ut e s ol ut i on shows a mar ked mus cul ar weaknes s i n t he hi nd quar t er s. Ahot her goat i s begi nni ng t o s how t he same ef f ect . - 9- Two goat s wer e gi ven 1 gc of t he concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead dai l y f or appr oxi mat el y t wo mont hs ; Bot h of t hese goat s have abor t ed. One di ed af t er r ecei vi ng 60 exposur es. I t had a mar ked weaknes s i n t he hi nd quar t er s f or sever al days bef or e i t di ed. The day t hat i t di ed i t was unabl e t o s t and or us e i t s hi nd l i mbs, and i t spent t he whol e day cr yi ng. An anal ys i s of t he var i ous or gans showed t he l ead t o be di s t r i but ed i n t he f ol l owi ng manner : Br ai n Lungs Li ver Mus cl e Hear t Ki dney Bone Bot h of t he goat s r ecei vi ng t he concent r at ed l ead compound r emai ned qui et and hunched up as i f i n pai n mos t of t he t i me. The goat s bei ng t r eat ed wi t h t he 1000 t o 1 mi xt ur e ar e appar ent l y excr et i ng 0. 10 mg of l ead each t went y- f our hour s. The goat s r ecei vi ng t he concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead appar ent l y ex cr et ed 0. 56 mgs each t went y f our hour s. Hazar d f r om Vapor s : The gas chamber i s a r oom cont ai ni ng appr oxi mat el y 180 cubi c f eet of ai r space. I t i s vent i l at ed by means of a f an del i ver i ng ai r near t he f l oor . The ai r i s r emoved by means of a f l ue i n t he cei l i ng. The ai r i n t he chamber i s changed once i n t en mi nut es or si x t i mes per hour . The ai r cont ai ns annr ox- i mat el y 0, 03 mgs of l ead on t he aver age. Thi s i s r egul at ed by bubbl i ng ai r t hr ough an et hyl gasol i ne mi xt ur e at t he pr oper r at e t o accompl i s h t hi s obj ect . I t i s har d t o dupl i cat e t he act ual eondi t i ms t hat ma y b e pr e sent ar ound f i l l i ng st at i ons or t he gar age. However , we di d not t r y t o evapor at e t he l as t por t i ons of t he gasol i ne i n t he bot t l e. Thi s was done becaus e i t has been obs er v ed t hat t her e i s a concent r at i on of t he t et r a et hyl l ead, as l i ght er gas ol i ne evapor at ed. The amount of l ead i n t he evapor at ed gasol i ne var i es as t he l i ght er por t i ons of t he gasol i ne ar e evapor at ed. I n t he gar age t hi s same condi t i on HE 0019815 - 10- woul d tpe t r ue, TiTe made some exper i ment s by s pi l l i ng s ome et hyl gas ol i ne on boar ds and f ound t hat i t pr act i cal l y al l evapor at ed i n t he nat ur al ai r movement . If, as has been cl ai med, t he t et r a et hyl l ead i s not evapor at ed wi t h t he gas o l i ne t hen t he gar age man wi l l be expos ed t o t he f umes of t he concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead. The t et r a et hyl l ead al so decomposes under cer t ai n condi t i ons and t r i - et hyl l ead cr yst al s ar e f or med whi ch, as Har nack has shown, i s ver y poi s on ous. ' Goat s, r abbi t s, gui nea pi gs, pi geons and . rat s ar e bei ng expos ed i n t he gas chamber , f or an aver age of f our hour s a day. Car e i s t aken t hat no ' f ood or ot her mat er i al t hat mi ght be gnawed i s pr esent . The onl y way t hat l ead can get i nt o t he body i s t hr ough t he r es pi r at or y t r act unl es s some vapor s houl d be depos i t ed i n t hei r f ur whi ch i s hi ghl y i mpr obabl e. The r at s s eem mor e sensi t i ve t han t he r es t of our exper i ment al ani mal s. The ani mal s have r e cei ved expos ur es var yi ng f r om 16 hour s t o 266 hour s . The r abbi t s and goat s t hat have been expos ed af t er a t i m begi n t o s how st i ppl ed cel l s i n t hei r bl ood. . *. . An exami nat i on of t he car cass of 38 ani mal s s howed t he l ead cont ent s t o be 5. 17 mgs of l ead per ki l o of body wei ght . s The ani mal us ual l y became qui et and hunched up f or s ever al days be f or e dyi ng. An aut ops y r eveal s no speci al f i ndi ngs. . One of t he gui nea pi gs gave bi r t h t o t wo pi gs. Nei t her t he mot her nor her young wer e expos ed t o l ead af t er t hei r bi r t h. The young pi gs l i ved s even days, t hen had convul s i ons and di ed. An anal ys i s showed t hat t hei r bodi es cont ai ned 0. 60 mgs and 0, 68 mgs r espect i vel y. Human Obser vat i on: Two per s ons who have f ol l owed t he wor k s i nce t he begi nni ng and who have t aken pr ecaut i ons knowi ng t he poi s onous nat ur e of t he compound, have st or ed -11 l ead as s hown by an exami nat i on of t he ur i ne and f eces: Feces Ur i ne 24 Hr . Sampl e 0. 76 mg 0. 08 0.14 24 Hr . Sampl e 0. 42 0. 07 I t i s i nt er es t i ng t o not e t hat nei t her one of t hes e per sons not ed any speci al sympt oms, and i n f act one of t hem had pas s ed t wo i nsur ance exami nat i ons wi t hi n a mont h. They bot h s peak of wakef ul nes s at ni ght , i r r at i onal dr eams, ner vous ness, and a gener al f eel i ng of mal ai s e whi ch expr es s es i t s el f i n a gener al l ack of "pep". Any doct or t r eat i ng t hemwoul d have l ai d i t t o a r un down con di t i on, needi ng a l i t t l e t oni c, et c. As et hyl gas ol i ne cannot be sol d i n Hew Yor k Ci t y, i t has been neces sar y f or us t o pur chas e t he gas ol i ne ( St andar d) at a f i l l i ng st at i on and t o add t he t et r a et hyl l ead t o i t our sel ves. Tie keep t he bot t l e cont ai ni ng t he concent r at ed mat er i al on t he r oof out si de of t he exper i ment al ani mal house. The concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead i s meas ur ed out wi t h a pi pet t e and added t o t he gas ol i ne - al l of t hi s i s done out of door s, and t he exposur e t o t he f umes f r om t he concent r at ed mat er i al i s pr act i cal l y ni l . Leat her gl oves ar e wor n when handl i ng any cont ai ner . Enough of t he 1000 t o 1 mi xt ur e i s made up t o l ast appr oxi mat el y t wo weeks. Car e i s t aken i n dos i ng t he ani mal s never t o get any of t he mat er i al on t he hand. I f at r ar e i nt er val s any di d get on t he f i nger , t he hands wer e was hed i mmedi at el y. The onl y pr obabl e way t hat t he l ead coul d have got t en i nt o , t he s ys t em is by i nhal at i on of t he di l ut ed f umes. The s ol ut i on i s handl ed i n a pi pet t e whi ch i s st uck i nt o t he bot t l e cont ai ni ng t he sol ut i on. T hen t he s ol ut i on has f l owed i nt o t he pi pet t e, a r ubber t ube at t he upper end i s squeez- 12- ed t oget her , t hus r et ai ni ng t he1s ol ut i on i n t he pi pet t e. Then t he pi pet t e i s pl aced on t he s ki n of t he ani mal and t he pr es s ur e on t he r ubber r ubi ng r el eas ed, per mi t t i ng t he s ol ut i on t o f l ow s l owl y on t o t he ski n. We have i n t he pas t dos ed some ani mal s wi t h concent r at ed mat er i al , but t he expos ur e woul dn't amount t o mor e t han t wo mi nut es a day and t he oper at i on was car r i ed out under pr act i cal l y out door condi t i ons. Thi s expos ur e woul d not be mor e t han woul d come f r om t he concent r at ed sol ut i on l ef t on t he f l oor of a gar age, i f t he cont ent i on of cer t ai n par t i es i s cor r ect t hat pr act i cal l y onl y gasol i ne evapor at es. ?vre det er mi ned at t he begi nni ng of our i nves t i gat i on t hat appr oxi mat el y 5% or 100 cc of a concent r at ed t et r a et hyl l ead s ol ut i on by wei ght i n a 250 cc beaker l ef t open out of door s woul d evapor at e i n a week. Unf or t unat el y i n t hes e t est s, we di d not make any l ead det er mi nat i ons . The t est s wer e car r i ed out whi l e we wer e st i l l s kept i cal as t o whet her t her e was much danger except f r om i ngest i on. ' SUMMARY . Our exper i ment s i ndi cat e appar ent l y t hat t her e i s no doubt t hat ani mal s expos ed t o s ki n appl i cat i on of et hyl gasol i ne wi l l st or e l ead. The r at e of excr et i on does not equal t he r at e of absor pt i on. Thi s i s ent i r el y i n agr eement wi t h al l medi cal exper i ence. We ar e not pr epar ed t o s ay t hat al l of t he ani mal s t hat di ed di d so becaus e of t he l ead. The t hi ng t o bear i n mi nd i s t hat t her e i s no doubt t hat a st or age of l ead t akes pl ace under exposur e. Lead s t or ed i n t he body cons t i t ut es a pot ent i al l ead poi soni ng. Ther e i s one t hi ng . t hat we have not i ced at var i ous t i mes, and t hat i s, i f f or any r eas on we do not expos e t he ani mal whi ch may appear si ck f or sever al days, t he ani mal wi l l s how a mar ked i mpr ovement . Thi s i s agai n i n l i ne wi t h medi cal exper i ence i n cases wher e pat i ent s have been expos ed t o l ead. . One cannot but f eel on - 13' account of t hi s obser vat i on, t hat t hei r condi t i on bef or e t h r es t was due t o t he l ead exposur e. The same obs er vat i ons t hat have been made about ani mal s r ecei vi ng ski n appl i cat i ons, can be made on t he ani mal s t hat wer e expos ed t o f umes of t he di l ut e et hyl gas ol i ne. I t i s of s i gni f i cance t hat t her e i s a cont i nuous st or age of l ead t aki ng pl ace i n t he ani mal s no mat t er whet her i t i s by absor p t i on t hr ough t he s ki n or by i nhal at i on. What i s of speci al s i gni f i cance or seems t o be so t o us, i s t he f act t hat t he ani mal s i n t he gas chamber seem t o s how t he ef f ect s qui cker t han t hr ough ski n appl i cat i on. Of cour se one mi ght expect t hi s f r om one' s knowl edge of physi ol ogy. I t al so conf i r ms t he f i ndi ngs at Har var d. The di l ut i on does not seem t o make any di f f er ence except f or t he l onger t i me neces s ar y t o accumul at e t he same quant i t y of l ead. Whet her man wi l l r ecei ve t he same expos ur e t hat our ani mal s have i s a mat t er t o be i nvest i gat ed. The Uni ver s i t y was not as ked t o det er mi ne t hi s quest i on. Fr om t he t wo human cases r ef er r ed t o, i t woul d s eem r eas onabl e t o expect t hat i f t he expos ur es wer e t he same as t hose of t he ani mal s, t hat man a^ woul d st or e l ead t he same way t he ani mal s di d. I n or der t o det er mi ne whet her a publ i c heal t h hazar d does exi st i n t he us e of et hyl gasol i ne, I woul d make a s ugges t i on t hat t he Sur geon Gener al appoi nt a Commi t t ee who wi l l sel ect cer t ai n f i l l i ng st at i ons and gar ages wher e et hyl gas ol i ne i s us ed gener al l y. That t he dus t on t he f l oor s and wal ks of t he gar ages be col l ect ed f r om t i me t o t i me and t he l ead cont ent s det er mi ned. Car e s houl d be t aken not t o change t he gener al habi t s of t he men ar ound t hese pl aces as t o cl eani ng t he f l oor s, et c. A gr oup of me n i n t hese pl aces shoul d " be exami ned at r egul ar per i ods over a s uf f i ci ent l engt h of t i me t o gi ve any s ympt oms a chance to. devel op. The st udy s houl d i ncl ude an exami nat i on of t he 14' s t ool s and ur i ne. Thi s i s es peci al l y neces s ar y when one r ef er s t o t he t wo cas es at Col umbi a Uni ver s i t y and t hei r appar ent l ack of any s ympt oms t hat t he or di nar y doct or woul d have as s oci at ed wi t h l ead poi soni ng. KJT 0019820