Document qm3zwOVyBNbvDrMevvrZKQ5nj

October 20, 1955 Mr. B. C, Lucas Assistant Chief Industrial Sanitation Section Department of Public Health Division of Air Pollution Control and Environmental Sanitation Boom 6.1*0, City Hall Annex Philadelphia 7, Pennsylvania Dear Mr, .Lucas: I am somewhat slow in replying to your letter of September 28 because of the pressure of work which gave me no time for correspondence. I have consulted Mr. Cholak on the technical aspects of your inquiry, since I am no expert in such matters except by proxy. It was my opinion, however, which he confirms, that no difficulty should arise in analysing for either lead or fluoride in the atmosohere under the conditions which you have described. The problem in either case will be that of applying the specific method with cars and precision, to samples that are adequate in number and tyne. I think it may be pertinent to point cut that the best method of determining the actual significance of the hazard to workmen of their exposure to either lead or fluoride is that of measuring the concentration of lead in the blood (it 13 also advantageous, but not so important, to measure the lead concen tration or output in the urine), and the rate c elimination of fluoride in the urine. As you are aware, no doubt, the analysis of the air vices not, in itself, provide the information that is required for the safety of the personnel in many industrial operations, no matter how -well it is done, Actually it does so only in those situations in which the results are so low as to demonstrate the virtual absence of hazard, and even then, it sometimes fails to portray the facts of the situation. I take the liberty of calling attention to these point , since industrial organi sations often need to be fully informed of the shortcomings, on the one hand, and the advantages, on the other, of some of the available methods of industrial hygiene as applied to their specific problems. Certainly in hazardous or borderline occupations in the lead-using operations, there is no adequate substitute for analytical observations of the personnel as a means of knowing N14006 Mr. B. C. Lucas - (2) - October 20, 1955 the actual hazard and in preventing cases of lead intoxication. Very truly yours. RAK ef ZobercA. Kehoe, M. D. Kf 0012310