Document kDbKy7w9pg74my94EmznJK8gE

May 7 , l ^ O Dr, M. 0 . Boudry . Waupaca Clinic >; Waupaca, Wisconsin Dear Doctor Boudry: After going through a number of hands, your letter of April has come to my desk and I hasten to make up for some of the delay that has been occasioned by my pro-occupation with a number of other duties. Before arriving at a conclusion on your request for a sample of tetraethyl load, 1 .should like to have some idea of -what you want to U3 e it for, and how you propose going about it, Tetraetnyi lead is a very toxic material which is absorbed from the sub cutaneous tissue and also directly through the skin. A very great amount of toxicological work on experimental animals has been done, and a very wide experience with various types of exposure has been had over a period of years since 1925. Therefore It seems unlikely that there are any very serious questions unanswered as to its mode of behavior which could be answered by a few clinical observations. Accordingly I have some con siderable hope that the matters which you wish to in vestigate have already been investigated, and that you can be spared the trouble, as well as the ri3ks of undertaking experimental observations with this material. By reason of the fact that my associates and I in this laboratory have done the major portion of the toxicologic work on tetraethyl lead, and that by reason of this fact we became the medical advisers of Ethyl Gasoline Corporation in connection with all the clinical and hygienic problems associated with the use of this material, we have kept closely in touch with the problems which have arisen from its use. Prom our ex perience I would assume that you are interested in obtaining some knowledge as to the skin irritations which are asso ciated with contact with gasoline containing tetraethyl lead. As a matter of fact, such irritations occur in con nection with all gasolines, though somewhat more soffrom the present type of high test gasolines, most of which contain considerable concentrations of unsaturated com pounds that result from modern refining and cracking processes. There is, we believe, some increase in skin irritations and in the severity of skin irritations as a consequence of the use of these modern gasolines, a&d although there have oot been a large number of cases of akin irritation at any time, it would seem that there is some tendency for increases This we attribute to the changed character of base gasoline rather than to any effect of tetraethyl lead. As a matter of fact, tetraethyl lead itself is not a skin irritant, and we have not able to establish any evidence of sensitivity phehomenSSi in connection with tetraethyl lead. As fairly good evidence that no such phenomena* exists, I may cite the fact that dermatoses do not occur in connection with the manufacture of tetraethyl lead where, presumably, the contact is greater than in the case of gasoline con taining small percentages of tetraethyl lead. I have gone to seme detail in mentioning these points since it seems probable that your interest in tetraethyl lead and its effect upon the skin had originated from your interest in a ca3e or cases of dermatitis among persons who handle leaded gasoline. If this is your point of interest, I shall be glad to send you a report of the experimental work which has been done on this problem. If this is not the case, I should like to know what you have in mind as a means of arriving at a conclusion. Very truly yours, RAK;^ s Robert A. Kehoe, ;:.D.