Document peJd8NDNYqzbYYY07vJj72MDE

S V -8 0 8 4 ESTABLISHED 1802 E. I. d u Po n t d e N e mo u r s 5t C o mp a n y INCORPORATED W il m in g t o n 98, De l a w a r e M EDICA L DI RECTOR'S OFFI CE O ctober 2rth 19^9 D r. R o b e rt A. Kehoe K e tte rin g L aboratory C in c in n a ti, Ohio . My d e a r Bob: I have your l e t t e r of O ctober 21st and w ill try to answ er a l l th e q u e s tio n s t h a t you have p u t b e fo re me. On Lead an d L ead Com pounds, I am s e n d in g you a t t a c h e d a D a ta S h e e t s u c h a s we p r e p a r e on v a r i o i is com pounds f o p t h e M a n u fa c tu rin g C h e m ists' A s s o c ia tio n . What I p ro p o se to w r ite i s a s e c tio n w hich comes under H ealth H azards and you w ill note th a t th e w hole D ata Sheet cannot be to o len g th y but must be ra th e r b r i e f . What I have in mind was sim p ly l i s t i n g le a d compounds u sed in in d u s tr y in some way t h a t m ight in d ic a t e th e r a p i d i t y w ith w hich th ey m ight cause tro u b le , u n le ss p ro p er p re c a u tio n s are u sed . T h is m a tte r is not to o u rg en t and so I su ggest th a t you not try to burden y o u rse lf w ith th is problem u n til such tim e as you have a l i t t l e more f r e e tim e . : On E x a m in a tio n and C a re o f E x e c u ti v e s , I am n o t a b le to give you any re fe re n c e s on t h i s s u b je c t. I can only t e l l you th e way we h a n d le th e p ro b lem and th e g e n e r a l h e a lth o f our e x e c u tiv e s a s we h ave fo u n d i t h e re o v e r a p e r i o d o f y e a r s . We ex am in e o u r e x e c u t i v e s j u s t a s we do a l l o t h e r em p lo y ees.' T h is ex am in atio n c o n s is ts o f h is to r y , p h y s ic a l exami n a tio n , x -ray of th e c h e st, com plete blood count com plete u rin a ly s is , electro card io g ram , and blood chem istry and banal m etabolism i f in d ic a te d . U nless th e ex ecu tiv e is su ffe rin g w ith a c h r o n i c a il m e n t s u c h a s h y p e r t e n s i o n , we exam ine them on ce a y e a r j u s t a s we exam ine th e o th e r p e o p le . You a r e a lr e a d y f a m i l i a r w ith t h e f a c t t h a t some com panies, G-eneral M otors f o r exam ple, a llo t/ t h e i r e x e c u tiv e s to &K 001 :O I 7 go to v a rio u s c lin ic s o r t h e i r fam ily p h y sic ia n s fo r p h y sic al ex am in atio n s. The r e s u l ts o f th e ex am in atio n s a re kept e n tir e ly betw een th e e x e c u tiv e s and t h e i r fam ily p h y s ic ia n s , o r th e c l i n i c s , and co n seq u e n tly th e m edical d ep artm en t has no knowledge of th e p h y sic a l exam inations, and in accordance w ith a statem ent made by S elby h im s e lf, th e y a re n o t i n t e r e s t e d . I th in k th e r e a r e many m is ta k e s i n t h i s s o r t o f a p ro g ra m and my c o n t e n t i o n i s t h a t v;e a r e d e a l i n g with human b o d i e s an d n o t p o s i t i o n s and i f th e m edical se rv ice is inadequate fo r th e ex ecu tiv es, then i t i s i n a d e q u a t e f o r t h e o f f i c e b o y . F u r t h e r , i t seem s t o me t h a t no one i s in a b e t t e r p o s i t io n t o know th e r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s , the s tre s s ana s tra in and th e em otional s ta tu s of th e ex ecu tiv es, th a n th e m e d ic a l men who a r e d i r e c t l y c o n c e rn e d w ith t h e p a r t i c u l a r in d u stry , p ro v id in g of course th ey are doing a good jo b . P e r s o n a l l y I am n o t t o o t h o r o u g h ly c o n v in c e d t h a t h a r d w ork k i l l s many p e o p l e . I am c o n v in c e d t h a t t h e r e a r e ' ty p e s o f I n d iv id u a ls who a r e h ig h ly e m o tio n a l, th e h y p e r te n s iv e s end t h e w o r r y - w a r ts , who a re n o t f i t m a t e r i a l f o r e x e c u tiv e p o s i t i o n s a t any t i m e . I am f u r t h e r c o n v in c e d t h a t w hat I term e x tr a - c u r r i c u la r a c t i v i t i e s , cau se more tr o u b le , c re a te more h e a l t h h a z a rd s in many e x e c u tiv e s , th a n th e a c tu a l work they do. I have h ad th e o p p o r tu n ity o f o b s e rv in g many ex ecu tiv e s over a long p e rio d of y ears and th e p h y sic a l break-downs in our group have never been any h ig h e r th an in any of th e o th e r g ro u p s and a s a m a tte r o f f a c t have a c t u a l l y b e en lo w e r. The fa c t th a t in g e n e ra l th ey have been w atched over fo r a p e rio d o f y e a r s ' and a d v is e d m e d ic a lly may h ave so m e th in g to do w ith i t . And f u r t h e r , - t h e f a c t t h a t i n g e n e r a l t h e i r o u t s i d e a c t i v i t i e s have been c a r r ie d on w ith due c o n s id e ra tio n to th e tim e demanded in th e o rg a n iz a tio n . I m ight m ention o ff th e re c o rd and not fo r p u b lic a tio n , although you w ill fin d i t p ublished in th e re c e n t a r t i c l e s in th e S aturday Evening P o st, th e th re e d u P o n t's, nam ely , Mr. P . S . , Mr. I r e n e e and Mr. Lam not, who a re w e ll a lo n g in l i f e , r e t i r e d and in good p h y s i c a l c o n d it i o n . I c o u ld men t i o n many m ore. I th in k a g re a t d eal depends upon g e ttin g an o rg an i z a t io n h e a l t h c o n s c io u s and r e a l i z i n g how iriro o rta n t p e r s o n a l h e a lth i s not only to th e in d iv id u a l h im self- but also to th e o rg a n iz a tio n . R a th e r r e c e n tly our E x ecu tiv e Com m ittee o assed t h e r u l i n g w h ich you may be i n t e r e s t e d in b u t w h ic h i s n o t f o r p u b l ic in f o r m a tio n , w hereby i t i s now im p o s s ib le f o r anyone t o be p rom oted t o an e x e c u tiv e p o s i t i o n in o u r Company u n le s s he has been d e c la re d p h y s ic a lly f i t to c a rry on th e added respon s i b i l i t i e s , by t h e M e d ic a l D i r e c t o r . You may m e n tio n t h i s i n a g e n e ra l way w ith o u t m en tio n in g any names as p e r s o n a lly I b e lie v e i t i s a move in th e r i g h t d i r e c t i o n . I th in k th e sooner th a t in dustry re a liz e s th a t e x e c u tiv e s a re people and ju s t o rd in a ry people from a p h y sic a l and a n ato m ic al sta n d p o in t and th a t th e y should, he handled in t h e say way as o th e r p e o p le and p ro c e e d to do so m eth in g about i t in an in te llig e n t fash io n , they w ill accom plish r e s u lts . P e r s o n a l l y I am a d v e r s e t o a Company w h ic h a l r e a d y h a s a m edi c a l s e t- u p , se n d in g t h e i r e x e c u tiv e s to th e o u ts id e f o r examin a tio n w ithout f i r s t having had a p h y sic al survey w ith in th e ir own o r g a n i z a t i o n w h ic h s h o u ld be a b le t o d e te r m in e w h e th e r or not sp e c ia l exam ination procedures are n ecessary . F u rth e r, th e program o f sending people to th e o u tsid e fo r exam inations and. t h e n g e t t i n g no r e p o r t s o f t h e r e s u l t s o f t h e e x a m in a tio n to th e m edical se c tio n , le a v e s'm e d ic a l in th e p o s itio n of being unable to g iv e any a d v ise , counsel or h e lp , and in o th e r words, u seless. A nnual m e e tin g o f t h e Academy: As t o -th e com ing m eeting o f th e Academy, I would su g g est a f u l l day of m eeting w ith a p p ro p ria te d isc u ssio n s and papers and the o th er day to be spent at your L aboratory, providing of course th is l a t t e r is convenient to you and your group. Lou S c h w a rtz was i n my o f f i c e t h e o t h e r c a y and t o l d me t h a t s i n c e h i s r e t i r e m e n t , h e h a s b e e n d o in g c o n s u l t i n g work f o r numerous in d u s tr ie s , n o t only along th e lin e s of derm atology, but has been s e ttin g up and h e lp in g to defend m e d ic a l-le g a l ee.ses. Lou spoke o f h is problem and h is m ethod o f h a n d lin g , and. h a s , a .c c o rd in g t o him , b e en q u i t e s u c c e s s f u l . He e x p r e s s e d a d e s i r e t o a p p e a r b e f o r e t h e Academy and t a l k on t h i s p a r t i c u l a r s u b je c t. I th in k i t w ould be w orthy o f c o n sid eratio n . Some tim e ago I su g g e ste d , t o C a r l i s l e , I b e l i e v e i t w as, th a t in view o f th e in c re a sin g - demand f o r knowledge on r a d ia tio n d is e a s e s and p o te n tia ls , th a t i t would be a d v isa b le to c o n sid e r having som ething of t h is s o rt on th e program and i t m ight be p o s s ib le to g e t Norwood t o come in and t e l l us som ething about i t . The su b je c t of B eryllium is red hot and B ill M achlie c e r ta in ly knows c o n s id e ra b le about th e problem w hich I should th in k would be of in te r e s t to th e e n tir e group. I th in k B ill o r w hoever t a l k s on th e s u b je c t m ight g iv e some u s e f u l a d v ic e on th e d is p o s itio n o f flu o re s c e n t lam ps w hich is q u ite a problem . Some o f o u r p l a n t s f o r e x a m p le , h a v e s e v e r a l h u n d re d o f t h e s e f l u o r e s c e n t t u b e s t o g e t r i d o f e a c h m onth and I am s u r e t h e r e a r e many o th e r p l a n t s w h ich h av e th e same p ro b le m . 0014869 I f I th in k of any fu rth e r su g g e stio n s, I w ill p a s s them on t o you as soon as I th in k o f them . W ith b e s t r e g a r d s , I am S incerely MEDICAL DIVISION S-HC-- G-. H. G ehrraann, M. D. M edical D ire c to r H E 0014870