Document ga4DJbdV9QOmR74QVLKn67MpV

iiS3iO-_FOlONIE: 7. s t a n d a r d o i l c o m p a h y In this case, ik plaintiff, entered the employ-,of the Standard Oil Company after preparation in his work of chemistry, largely conducted at - the University. of Chicago. While there. ':iidde study and tests with mercury, a detail of which will be forthcoming in a number of published articles, copies of which are to be furnished by Dr. Sullivan. These articles r will disclose the extent of his tests.with mercury. On going to the Standard Oil Company, . 1. r : V,v,'- came under t h e .supervision of Dr. F. W. Sullivan, Jr., the chief chemist at the Laboratory at Whiting, who has taught chemistry in school. The other superior was \: F. IT. Rogers a l s o a graduate chemist. ' . . m S f e worked for cplte a time in treating light distillates, and was engaged in work with lead \ . tetraethyl for a little over two mdriths. He worked; with ',, }* m y$ this product experimentally from August 4, 1924 to . October 31,-1934, on which' latter date he left on sick K" . leave. ' - : ' ` Prior to,Doming to work at the Standard : Oil -Company, probably worked under Stieglitz *7 * at the University of Chicago. The period of v / - / . .; / . ' / f'- . ' employment'.with, the-.Standard Oil Company was from -, , <`* y , *: . . r.\<,x ;i l* .v -- '*- .-^ . t'v" January 3, 1923 to, November 34, 1924, at which,time he * / ^ # ikV** "\ f***-1 i' . left o n `a leave of.absence to December 31. His associates V in his, work were August French and Don Balcome - Balcome working with him only a few weeks and French practically ~ during all'the period of these lead tests* -' - ,- . mm " 2 " The lead tetraethyl is madi^by applying tests to a lead sodium alloy, which is a hard substance having a lead base It was disintegrated with a mortar and pestle, by application of force to the product under oil* In this state the product is not voluble, and there is no occasion for any physical contact with it, nor would there be -any harm if there were. . -The work of disintegrating it is done in a dish,about the size of an oatmeal dish, ajnd after being crushed into pellets - which are small grains and not a powdery state - it is transferred to a reaction vessel!, which is a glass flask. In this flask the product is disintegrated chemically in a diluent of hydro carbon, the resulting products being: 1- Lead sulphate, 2- F i n e l y divided lead, 3~ Lead tetraethyl. The method of extracting the lead tetraethyl is by injecting steam into the flask. The heat of the sterna increases the volfilile character of the product, leaving the non-vo34Kifc.e portions as a residue in the flask. The flask employed is of conventional type. From the flask, by means of the injecting of steam, the gas is carried through a condenser, which consists of two tubes: The inner tube, containing; the vapor; the outer tube, containing water productive of the condensation of the product in the inner tube. The flask is of glass, as is the condenser, and the joints between are of cork. From the condenser the product is carried into a glass receiver, and the process is complete. In the receiver there will be two layers: The 3- lower layer being water, and the upper layer "being the lead tetraethyl in hydro carbon diluent* the specific gravity of the tetraethyl alone is heerier than water, but being mingled with the diluent, which is^. lighter specific .gravity, the lead tetraethyl & n the diluent?floats .^nallysie of this layer of oil with a tetraethyl content is made[toI find what lead tetraethyl has been produced by the process*; The receiver is conical shape, with a neck and flafe lip After the process of decomposition has reached the ppin'jfc where the product is contained in this receiver, the decomposition is complete, and there is no more danger in workixjg ij&th the product after it has reached that stage than therb would be danger in working in a room which had been paiaste<jl.and the naint had dried* '| It was, the estimation of Dr. Sullivan that the largest amount of tetraethyl with which the plaintiff dealt during the erf ire period of his experimentation: whs some : 29 grams. These conclusions are reached from th^ record which Chalkleyms.de in his own handwriting, showing the quantities of material employed in his processes and experiments, and the resulting product. In all the experiments wfaELchj were made by Ohalkley, in an effort to derive or produce tetraethyl lead, he succeeded in deriving it only on two occasions. The remaining times there was np resulting tetraethyl produet [produced. The experiments were for the purpose of trying new jaetjhods, In !i general, the work was conducted with diathyl sulphate, which is classified as non-toxic* -4-- in a'-hood,-'Which m e specially sealed. It is made of oak, with glass windows. The platform on which the work is conducted is about waist high, and the hood extends from that level to the ceiling, consisting of four walls, two of which are solid and two of which contain glass set in oak frames. At the point where the joints occur extra?strips are placed over the joints to seal the hood. There is a fan employed to produce overhead ventilation connected with the sealing of this hood. This fan commonly is used to exhaust from four hoods* During the time was engaged in this experiment,and during that entire period, the fen was employed only on this one hood er.d disconnected from the other three. 1 m to be furnished the exact dimensions of the hood and, by tests, the capacity of the fan,as to the number of cubic feet of elimination by its use in specified time,is to he furnished. A test was made,while I was there, with the hood,(which is in the same condition as it was at the time, except that the fan is now used to discharge from four hoods,) by pouring ammonia inside the hood and then taking a piece of paper with hydro chlorid acid on it and holding it all about the various joints and openings of the hood, to attempt to produce a heavy smoke, which is produced when the fumes from these two products come in contact. Ho smoke was produced except when the paper was held inside the hood, and when held just inside the hood, with the door of the hood open six or eight inches, the smoke all went up into the hood and out through the ventilator.?, none of which any odor of ammonia to fee discerned -at any time. - .Dr, Sullivan -wrote a letter analysing the record of as. made fey him In his bod*;, giving periods of tests, ingredients employed, tetraethyl used, and so forth. This letter is said to fee in Mr Bellingham*s file, and copy of it is to be furnished to m e . I looked over aiii;igai-- 'notes .and they are too deeply scientific for m e .t o analyze, so that the letter of Dr. Sullivan is very valuable to a person who is to handle the case. As respects rubber gloves, Rogers says he has seen use rubber gloves. They were kept by the storekeeper and were to be had for the askingJ French and E&lcome say they never sou at any time without gloves, and as French worked with him through the whole period, his testimony should be quite strong as to the fact iluit did. wear gloves through all of his experiments. Both French and Balcome are graduate chemists, and they say that warned them to wear gloves and to be careful net to get the- fumes, and seemed to quite familiar with the dangers involved. The first complaint that was made by to anyone about not feeling well was ust before To:veafeer 4, when he laid. off. There had been newspaper articl es published before that, telling: about deaths from tetraethyl, had was evidently scared to death, according to Sullivan. I talked to Dr. Arthur Brown, who was not employed in this work while fljjjj|HBwas there but has. done it since with the same hood and worked from April 7 to June 4, 1825. The process he used was to add sodium to mol ten lead and then add ethyl sulphate, drop by drop, and used a mechanical stirrer As I understand, J H M H K did not use a mechanical stirrer. I do not know if ttje ' difference in process is of any materiality. Brown made 22 runs, using 75 grams in each test, and produced more, than 400 grains of tetraethyl, whereas, according to hie understanding, produced 63 grams. Brown worked with gloves and had no bad results. Br. Sullivan places considerable reliance upon Brown's experience; my own impression is that it is of slight value and may be incompetent in evidence I interviewed Drs. French and Ealcome jointly. ihey worked - French, most of the time, arid Baicome for a few weeks. They sid there was a practice of changing working clothes. Thej]y always wore rubber gloves; did the same and- wasrned them to do so. French studied at the Chicago University and Baicome at the University of Michigan. Ko masks were used at either place in working with lead produe Bo th said there was no complaint of ill-health until the last few days. French says that talked to him about a dream or a hallucination he had, which was that of having- a weight hanging over his head. He spoke to Dr. Reeves about it and he told him it probably was a dream. I pressed them as to how they felt themselves and what effects they had, whereupon French opened up and frold how he had low blood pressure, was very tired along ; >out the time that was complaining . He said he 1did as much of the work and made the tests complete, and ths,t in making the tests, the opening of the hood was closed a Each greater part of the time than 3[t wag open. He and Chalkley discussed the dangers of the matter "before they started in the work. The particular hood used vras in a room, known.as laboratory Ho. 17. X am thoroughly convinced that French believes he. had lead poisoning at that time and that he thinks j Tdid toe}. I led him along the line of being frightened and he ads itted that he was frightened and that he thought it was ver y reasonable to be so* His testimony, if used at all, tsill have to be used with great caution, as I believe he is of the conviction that he and f l ^ l H V b o t h had lead poisoning, although naturally I did not press him to m e point of saying su . Dr. B. B. Reeves, employed as a physician in the hospital at 'Shiting-, in the Standard 011 plant, exordnecl on various occasions} one oceasion being July 30, 1924, which is before he went into this work, and at various times after. Bo did not examine his blood pressure. A report of hie examinations of Ghalklej^ is to be furnished showing the dates and what he found. Dr. Morton accompanied me on this trip, and 1 employed his skill in helping get at the fa cts. I believe the foregoing telle the situation as completely as possible To sum up! Witnesses available: Dr. Sullivan is apparently highly competent; regards this cae as pretty much nonsense; is somewhat reluctant to enter into the '1 -8- d;etail of it> -I judge with the; feeling that it is. hot necessary. Dt. Rogers is very close-mouthed and hard to draw out. . Dr. French was frankly scared aoout lead poisoning and thinks he had it. Dt . Bale rate doesn't know much about 'Ulid matter and if anybody asks, he will say so. The possible witnesses are: Br. Sullivan, Dr. Rogers, August French, Don Balcorae, Dr. B. B. Reeve, Dr. Arthur Brown. . The storekeeper may have to be used as to the supply of rubber gloves, their availaoij.ity, ana how frequently they were furnished, and, possibly, sotie repairman, on the question of changing over the 'fan from Pur hoods to one. . I did not see the storekeeper, but wshs told that he has the impression that ^ p j J J J ^ i d no like the gloves he had and that he wanted some special ki nd,which were ordered and secured for him. F. O 1 * 0017031 1%' Stock, Alfred* "The Dangers of Mercury Yapor. fur angewandte Chemie 39 (1926) 461-466} (Zeitchrifi The insidious danger of mercury has long been insufficiently recognised, and has been disregarded in ust those places where it is particularly threatening; namely in physical and chemical laboratories. The author suffered for years from health difficulties which began gradually and gradually increased until they became almost uniondurable. Symptoms are described as they developed, beginning with headache and increasing nervousness and irritability. later congestion of respiratory passages and catarrhal troubles. States that there is great similarity between mercury poisoning and lead poisoning. , Previous mercury poisoning imparts increased sensitivity to new poisonings on later contact* Claims that |it is unwise to have amalgam fillings in the teeth* Schmidt, A. Pinkus, Georg* Eeihlen, H., Gradenwitzl i. Wolf, Ludwig "Comments in P.egard to the Hazards of Poisoning from Mercury Vapors*' (Zcitsohrift fur angewandte Ohemte 3$ (1926} 786-790) 1 The: comments of several authors, mostly confirming the statements of Stock as to the texts: nature and the danger of chronic mercury poisoning* . | Husha, Julius* ''Observations on Mercury Poisoning Among the Arabian Alchemists end Physicians" (Seits. engew* hem* 39 (1926} 790-791} j Stock* Aldred. "She Danger of Mercury Vapor" 2 eply to comments of Orsn&enwits and others. ('Zelte, sngew. "Ghem* 39 (1926) 790-791} Stock, Alfred. "The Dangers of Mercury Vapors and olj Amalgams" (Doits*' angew* Chem 3 0 f1926} 984-989} Gives' hscouiits fof confirmatory evidence oM m retry poisoning. States that "it is proven that the continued inhalation of even ~ extremely small quantities of mercury (,01 to .001 milligrams daily) causes health disturbances which at first ate (not specific and affect principally the nervous system and the upper respiratory passages, particularly the nose." * US' 0017032