Document mXe6Oqbd6xDNeewmY3xBRrmJ

o l i n e Co r p o r a t i o n t e n La b o r a t o r i e s s t Mil w a u k e e Av e n u e De t r o i t , Mi c h i g a n D r. W.F. Machle C ollage o f M edicine U niversity of C incinnati C in c in n a ti, Ohio. August 25, 1938, Dear M achle: fu rth e r to our telep h o n e c o n v e rsa tio n o f l a s t week concerning exposure to le a d b e a rin g d u st a t P r a t t and Yshitney A ir c r a f t. Two o r t h r e e d ay s p r i o r t o l a s t New Y ear I v i s i t e d P r a t t and T nitney and happened to n o tic e th e apparatus used fo r clean in g spark p lu g s. The o p e ra tio n i s c a r r ie d o u t w ith o u t w e ttin g th e le a d d e p o s its and c o n s is ts in removing d e p o s its w ith a m o to r-d riv en w ire b ru sh from th e spark plug s h e lls and from th e co res by means o f san d -p ap er w h ile th e core i s r o ta te d a t h ig h sp eed . At th e tim e o f t h i s v i s i t no s u c tio n v e n t i l a t i o n a p p a ra tu s was in use and I p o in te d out th e hazards a s s o c ia te d w ith th e o p e ra tio n . L a te r on H r. K arl Beaver o f t h i s la b o ra to ry v is it e d P r a tt and Y/hitney and o b serv ed t h i s o p e ra tio h and found th e o p e r a to r w earin g a mask w hich made b re a th in g ex trem ely d i f f i c u l t . I a g a in w rote to P r a tt and Yihitney in th e m a t t e r and a s a r e s u l t o f my comments s u c ti o n v e n t i l a t i o n was i n s t a l l e d . R e c e n tly , M r. B. Yf. t he m echanic c a rry in g out th is o p e ra tio n , a p p l ie d f o r in s u r a n c e and was a s k e d f o r p a r t i c u l a r s o f h i s o c c u p a tio n . '.Then he d e s c rib e d h is work to th e in s u ra n c e company he was to ld th a t i t was e x tre m e ly h a z a r d o u s . ( l am n o t s u r e , h o w e v e r, w h e th e r ho was r e j e c t e d f o r in s u r a n c e o r n o t ) . He p ro c e e d e d t o c o l l e c t a sam ple o f d u s t r e t a i n e d i n th e hoods o f th e v e n tila tio n system and was p ro p o sin g to have th i s an aly zed . T h is cams t o th e a t t e n t i o n o f h i s s u p e r i o r , M r. E . J . B u ssey who i s th e A s s is ta n t Foreman o f th e E x p erim en tal D epartm ent. Mr. B ussey -sent t h i s d u s t t o mo f o r a n a l y s i s a s you w i l l h av e n o t i c e d from c o p ie s o f c o rre s p o n d e n c e w h ich y o u r e c e i v e d . D u rin g my v i s i t t o P r a t t an d W h itn ey l a s t "week I exam ined th e spark plug clean in g ap p ara tu s and found th a t w hile su ctio n v e n tila tio n apparatus w ith co n sid erab le cap acity had been in s ta lle d th e e ffe c t had been la rg e ly n u llif ie d by screen s w hich w ere f i t t e d in o rd e r to p rev en t spark p lugs d ropping in to th e v e n tila tio n d u c ts . These sc re e n s had become c o n sid e ra b ly clo g g ed and had so much red u ced th e a re a a v a ila b le f o r a i r flo w t h a t b o th th e chuck and the w ire brush on th e ap p aratu s were fu n ctio n in g as c e n trifu g a l fans and blow ing a i r o u t o f th e hoods in such a manner as to n u llif y th e su ctio n provided by th e v e n tila tio n fa n . Bussey had th e screen s removed and t h i s Page 2 D r. W .F.M aohle August 25, 1938 e ffe c te d a very co n sid e ra b le im provem ent, p a r tic u la r ly w ith reg ard to th e w ire b ru sh . However, th e l a t t e r s t i l l th rew o u t a stream o f a i r from th e hood. Mr. B ussey a ls o had th e chuck en clo se d b u t I m s n o t a b le to w itn e ss a te st of th is. M r. B u ssey t o l d me t h a t t h e m a t t e r had b e e n r e f e r r e d to t h e c h i e f p la n t p h y sic ia n a t P r a tt and W hitney and I u n d erstan d th a t th e l a t t e r had s ta te d th a t th e man was n o t i l l from lo ad a f f e o t s . I to ld Mr. B ussey, M r. P a r k in s , Mr. M o n c rie ff, Mr. H obbs, Mr. Gove and M r. L e s t e r , a l l o f th e E n g in eerin g D epartm ent, t h a t i f th e r e was any q u e s tio n o f th e man b ein g exposed to a dangerous lead hazard he should e ith e r be removed from th e job im m ediately o r e lse equipped w ith a mask fed by w a sh e d c o m p re sse d a i r as shown i n th e a tta o h e d p h o to g rap h . I s ta te d t h a t i f exposure was co n tin u ed a f te r th e m a tte r had been brought to th e a tte n tio n o f P r a tt and W hitney any i n d u s t r i a l com m ission wa3 l i k e l y t o b e e x tre m e ly c r i t i c a l . Mr. B ussey d id n o t w an t to e i t h e r remove th e man from th e jo b o r g e t him to w ear a mask sin ce he f e l t t h a t Koenig was fu n d am en tally a tro u b le-m ak e r and would se iz e on e ith e r o f th e se changes as a means o f s ta r tin g up tro u b le . I re p lie d to t h i s to th e e f f e c t th a t I th o u g h t th e man' s re a c tio n s should n o t e n te r in to th e question o f h is continued exposure to a p o ssib le lead hazard. In v is it in g th e p la n ts o f P r a tt and W hitney and th e ir a s s o c ia te s I observed what I regarded as se v e ra l co n sid erab le d u st hazards from grinding and p o lis h in g o p e ra tio n s and m entioned 'these to M essrs. Hobbs and P a rk in s . They s ta te d th a t i f D r. Schraden could fin d tim e fo r a b r i e f exam ination o f th e o p e ra tio n s I c r i t i c i s e d th e y would fin d h is o p in io n s o f c o n sid era b lo a s s is ta n c e . A rrangem ents have been made to g a t D r. S chraden in to u ch w ith P r a tt and Y fhitney's p rin c ip a l p la n t physician d u rin g h is v i s i t . I am w r i t i n g t o P r a t t an d W h itn ey s u g g e s tin g t h a t D r. S c h ra d e n should see e i t h e r Mr. P a r k in s , A s s is ta n t C h ief E n g in e e r, o r Mr. L .S . Hobbs who i s E n g in e e r in g M anager an d i n c h a rg e o f a l l e n g in e e r in g and e x p e rim e n ta l w ork. Best w ishes. Yours s in c e re ly , SDH:REL CC: M r. W.A. P a r k in s (2 c c . ) End* P .S . P ra tt and w hitney m ention th a t th e spark plug cloaning o p eratio n is being c a rrie d out a l l over th e country and th a t i t is probable t h a t many co n cern s a r e co n d u ctin g th e o p e ra tio n w ith no re g a rd w h atso ev er for dust hazards. ^J