Document m7ymE3LVKMmB9jG0kv3q4x9Z
Ja n u a r y 30, 1954
M r . E . E . :Sh ea .
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Eth yl Corporation
.
100 P ar k Aven ue Bu ildin g
New Y o r k C it y 17
.'
D e ar M r . Sh ea:
Th e d e cisio n a s to th e p ar t icip at io n of Eth yl C o r p o r atio n in th e fin an cin g of th e a c t iv it ie s of th e Sou th er n C a lifo r n ia A ir P ollu t ion Fou n dation , h as to be con sidered., o r so it se e m s to m e, fr o m the a s p e c t , {1} o f E t h y l' s n e e d f o r in fo r m a t io n on t h e p r o b le m , i t s e l f , . an d cn th e tech n ical, m ed ical an d ad m in istr ativ e (govern m en tal) developm enfcs in t h e lo c a l (C a lifo r n ia ) sit u a t io n , t h r o u gh w h ich , i f Et h y l w e r e n ot fu lly a d v ise d , it m igh t fin d it se lf a t a d isa d v a n t a ge ; an d (2) o f th e n eed fo r a d e m o n st r at io n , on E t h y l's p a r t , of it s w illin gn ess to b e a r so m e sh a r e of th e d iffic u lt ie s w ith -w h ich th e p e t r o le u m in d u st r y in C aliforn ia is now face d , : -
Th e secon d p ar t of th e m at t e r is on e on w h ich m y ad vice w ould not se e m t o b e r e q u ir e d , sin c e y ou an d o t h e r s in. th e C o r p o r a t io n w ill b e ab le to a p p r a ise its sign ifican ce b etter th an I. Su ffice it to say , fr o m m y view poin t, th at th e tr ou b le in w h ich th e in d u st r y is in volved is a r e a l on e, an d th at it w ill con tin ue to be se r io u s un til som e sat isfac t o r y so lu t io n i s fou n d fo r it . In th e p r e se n t fr a m e of m in d of m an y in flu e n t ial c iiise n s in E o s A n geles, an d on the b a sis of cu r r en t opin ion s a s to the n atu re an d sign ifican ce of the Eo s A n geles situ ation , the p etroleu m in d u st r y in C alifo r n ia is in fo r a bad t im e . I sh all be su r p r ise d if it is n et su b jected to gr e a t exp en se an d se r io u s d islo cat io n of its o p er atio n s.
A s to th e m atter of Eth y l's n eed fo r in form ation on the sign ifican ce of
it s con tribu tion to a ir pollu tion in E o s A n geles, I b elieve I can sa y t safe ly ,
th at it w ill not be m et by the Fou n dation . The la t t e r m ay be u sefu l a s a
so u r c e o f in fo r m a t io n on t h e l o c a l sit u a t io n , bu t I e v e n d o u b t t h a t . VVe
a lr e a d y h ave r e liab le an d ext en siv e con tacts in th e a r e a , th rou gh p r o
fe ssio n a l and u n iv er sity people, an d th rough th e p r e se n t grou p of in v e sti
g a t o r s of th e p r o b le m w ith w h om ou r p e r so n a l an d p r o fe ssio n a l r e lat io n
sh ip s ar e u n iform ly excellen t an d un tin ged by sp e cial in t e r e st s or lo y altie s.
Eth yl p e r so n n e l in th e a r e a , a s w ell a s in D et r o it an d
York , a r e w ell
in form ed', I b e lie v e , on tech n ical m at t e r s an d on th e in d u st r ial r e latio n s
situ ation .
UZ 0004270
M r . E . JL. Sh e a - (2) - Ja n u a r y 30, 1954
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In view of r ecen t qu estion s r a ise d r at h e r aw k w ard ly an d som ew h at n aively b y p eop le in C alifo r n ia, I b e lie v e t h er e i s an alm o st im m ed iate n eed to in vestigate the lead problem th ere. I h ave p rop osed th at we do th at o u r se lv e s an d h ave in se r t e d th is item in th e exp erim en tal p r o gr am w h ich E a r l Barth olom ew ask e d m e to ou tlin e. T h is, I m ay say , can be don e w ith out cr eatin g an y n ew issu e of an y kin d, sin ce w e h ave th e m ean s an d th e n eed fo r lookin g in to the Lo s A n geles p r o b lem a s p ar t of a b r o a d e r p r o gr am of in v est igat ion in w h ich we a r e en gaged . Th e exp en se of th e a ir sam p lin g p r o gr am sh ou ld be b orn e by Eth yl Cor p or ation , I th in k, an d at th e sam e tim e se m e oth er o b se r v at io n s sh ou ld be m ad e by sim ila r tech n ical m ean s to con tribu te to ou r gen er al kn ow ledge of the sit u at io n . You m ay th in k it w ise th at t h is w ork b e don e w ith th e fu ll k n ow led ge of th e Fou n d ation , w ith it s h elp , in c e r t a in m a t t e r s, an d w ith it s fin an cial su p p or t, r ath e r th an th at of Eth yl Corp oration d ir e ctly . On th e oth er h an d, h ow ever, we can m ak e t h e se o b se r v at io n s qu ietly and s a t i s f a c t o r i l y a s p a r t of a p r o g r a m o f in v e st ig a t io n b e in g p u r su e d - u n d er a. gr an t fr o m th e U. S. P u b lic H ealt h Se r v ic e .
In. co n n e ct io n w ith th e g e n e r a l p r o b le m o f a i r p o llu t io n a s it r e l a t e s to Eth yls.'s p o t e n t ia l c o n t r ib u t io n 'of Xh ad, an d in s p e c i fi c r e la t io n to t h is : m a t t e r o f a co n t r ib u t ion to. th e Fou n d at io n , I h av e r e co m m e n d e d exp en d it u r e s of the o r d e r of m agn itu de of $120,.000 to. $16.0,000 p e r y e ar fo r two y e a r s fo r th e e xp e r im e n t al stu d y of t h is p r o b le m in th e Fe t t e r in g Lab o r at o r y ..alo n e ,. {T h is i s in t h e m e m o r a n d u m t o Ba r t h o lo m e w on t h e p r e p a r a t i o n f o r n ew d e v e lo p m e n t s in t h e u se o f t e t r a e t h y l le a d h'. m e t e r fu e ls.) I m en tion th is b ecau se it se e m s pertin en t to con sisier the o v e r all ju st i fi c a t i o n fo r a con t r ib u t ion , to t h e jfo u a d a t io i cn t h is h u ck gr o t in d , ! y o u ad d t o t h is th e e x p e n d it u r e s to o s m ad e b y t h e D e t r o it J. ab o r a.t o r i e s in t h e in v e st ig a t io n o f t h e fa t e o f le a d in. t h e m o t o r - o r d a au st sy st e m , th e p er sp ectiv e w ill be still b r o ad er .
I believe th is r ep r e se n ts the p osition , so fa r a s I can v isu alise it. I am
retu rn in g th e b r och u r e, sin ce you m ay want it.
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Sin ce r e ly y o u r s,.
is b er t A . .Keho a, M .-' D. HAK ef *n c . P . S. Th e e x c e r p t fr o m th e L,os A n ge le s E x a m in e r h a s n o r e a l sign ific a n c e
M r . E . L.. Sh e a - ( 3 ) - Ja n u a r y 3 0 , 1954 an d i s u n lik ely to h ave an y g r e a t in flu en ce on p e o p le 's th in kin g. It se e m s u n likely th at P r e sid e n t Du Br id ge of C alteck , o r som e of h is tech n ical people a r e so ign oran t th at th ey did n ot r e aliz e th e n eed fo r filt e r in g the a ir in th eir tech n ical la b o r a t o r ie s to exclu de atm osp h er ic le ad . It is w ell known th at le ad fr o m a n u m b er of so u r c e s is foun d t h e r e in . vYe h a v e fi l t e r e d t h e a i r in o u r sp e c t r o g r a p h ic la b o r a t o r y f o r th e p a st 12 to 15 y e a r s .
R.A. K.
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