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D E P A R T M E N T O F P U B L IC H E ALTH A D M IN1 S T R A T IO N
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May-11 1925
Dr.,R. R. Sayer,
Bureau of Mines
Washington, D.C. Dear Dr. Sayer;
I had intended answering your letter telling o$> your
conversation with the Burgeon- General but as you have probably no ticed things broke loose in our direction. This has kept me busy all
of the time and 1 was afraid to open my mouth for fitar of being mis
quoted. How the World got any information is still a mystery to me
tho I have treed to find out where any leak came in. I know that they have had no information from me except some questions that were asked' me concerning lead poisoning in general.
I have my report about finished but am not going to deliver it to any one until I come to Washington. Of course I will deliver one to the Company just before that time. Acting on the suggestion of Dr. Thompson and several bthers my report will contain only a summary of my experiments and will not contain the details. I think this is wise in such a meeting for I imagine that we will not get very far as the opposing factions are too far apart. I was surprised to see a report on your work in the Newark tvening News last night and it sounded or rather had all of the ear-marks of certain members of the Company.
Dr Edgar was in town several weeks ago and seems quite in a fight ing spirit. I understand that he says my tetra ethyl lead was not pure and that is the reason my results are different from theirs. Again he is harping on the evaporation tests. I can easily understand his point in thi3 matter. I buy my gasoline from a garage up the street and add my own gaaiciiHxx lead. As to evaporation of gasoline I am up in the air. I have had gasoline that will evaporate oompladely in a few min utes while some J. have gotten lately leaves an oily reidue at the end. 1 have had gasoline where I get 400 cc that will evaporate in four hours and where practically all of the lead compound will evaporate at the same time. Other gasoline will not be so satisfactory. I have taken straight tetra ethy lead and had the same experience. In fact the mote I work with the material the more I am confused as to whether it is a
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real public health hazard, Meaning are our laboratory conditions com parable to commercial or industrial conditions. I am more than con vinced that any skin contact will store lead over a long period of time. As to fumes I am still in the air. It seems to me' that all de pends on the conditions. Still I am convinced that there is some haz ard,- the extent of which must be studied around garages and filling stations over a period of time and by unprejudiced persons.
Of course you must understand that my remarks are confidencial The tetra ethyl leal' I used '/as furnished by the company.
kaithfully yours
gg
ETHYL "GAS" STOPPED;
N e w . Y ork. May, B,---[Sp eclah]--^F ollow ing, th e
com pletion o f Colum bia u n iv e rsity 's 'in vestigation
into tbp alleged harm ful and dangerous qualities of
-leaded'ethyl gasoline,' th e E thyl. Gasoline corpora
tion, a; su b sid iary o f th e S tan d ard Oil a n d G eperal M ptors, has announced th a t It would w ithdraw Its
product from the'm arket. ;
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.The C olum bia univ ersity ^rep o rt h a s been',se p t to
Surgeon G eneral H u g h S. G um m ing o tb e 'p u b llc
h e a lth service a t W ash in g to n an d to, tjie ;E th y l G a s
oline company. The com pany in Its stateipeht,Indi
cated .th at the m ark etin g of its prpdufct, in .the
fu tu re would depend on th e eth y l1gasoline confer
ence w hich the surgeon general has called in, W ash
in g to n fo r M ay 20.
T he new gasoline, w hich reduces th e " knock;" In
an automobile m otor,and m akes gasoline " go ' fu r
th e r, h a s been sold in 27 states,, including N ew Y ork
an d New Jerse y , a lth o u g h it is 'hg.rred i n N ew T o rk
City. A nnou n cem en t o f Its w ith d raw al from'1th e
m a rk e t by >the m a n u fa c tu rin g com pany 'w a s fol
lowed by a .sta te m e n t from the S tandard Oil Com
pany of Indiana, th a t Its supply of eth y l. gasoline
has been .cut off and .that^lt' would discontinue .Its
'saleV"
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