Document v18jy1M5pBaOxwq4kgX9xe1Z8

May 4, 1949 Dr. B. B. Reeve, Medical D Standard Oil Company (Indiana), 910 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois * Dear Doctor Reeve t I apologi e for the delay in replying to your letter of April 12, and can o;nly plead that certain enforced absences from m y office have restiLted in an accumulation of correspondence. I could v iLsh that I could really improve upon the statements in my letter of 1939 sent you in reply to your earlier question on the same subj ect. I fear that it is not possible to do much along that line, but can add a fev comments that might be useful. The hazard of spray painting has, of course, a quantitative aspect. A paint t iat contains a iov percentage of lead (1 to 2 per cent) presents relatively little hazard as compared vi t h one of lov lead content, jcut the real question at issue relates to the manner of exposure. For outside work there is, generally speaking, little risk of 1isad absorption from the use of a paint of lov lead content, but in en losed spaces that are unventilated or poorly ventilated some hazsar d vould exist. This could be determined by analysis of the air a the breathing zone of the vorkmen, or alternatively by analysis of their blood and/or urine, fallowing a period of some veeks Of characteristic exposure. Respirators, of course, could be used, and one feels that this should be done under appropriate supervisib:>n, except under the conditions of adequate ventilation vhen the Vork is done in veil designed spray booths. Another problem relates to the removal of such paint b y scraping, sanding, grinding or burning operations. These operations may suspend signifleant amounts of dust or fume in the air breathed by vorlanen Again analyses vill suffice to measure the hazard, and protective measures can be taken accordingly. It is quit e certain that a slight increase in the lead concentration in the pa int, as, for example, from slightly less than 1 per cent to a full 1 per cent, vould have very little influence on the haza r d . Therefore if your problem consists merely in alloving an increase up to and including the concentration of 1 per cent, I do not consider it m u c h o; a problem* A still further problem, in all spray painting, relates to exposure N6209 Dr. B. B. Reeve - (2) - May k , 19k9 to the solvent or solvents. Exposure can be limited b y the exer of* care oh. the part of the work m a n # in out-of-door work, but this difficult if not impossible# in enclosed spaces. Generally speaki it i3 bad policy to do much or regular spray painting under any other conditions tlian that of good natural or artificial ventilation. Short periods of exposure occasionally are of little importance, but regularly sustained exposure to the solvents without the protection of satisfactory ventilation is likely to be productive of trouble. Respiratory protection can be provided against the solvents by means of charcoal filters, and under certain conditions of intermittent spray-painting# this type of protection may prove to be effective. I trust these remarks may be of some help Cordially yours# B M ef Robert A. Kehoe # II.' D S t a n d a r d O il C o m pa n y (IN DIAN A.) 3k . U k y c b B . R e }e v e , D i k k c t o h o p M k d c a l D e p t . 910 S o u t h Mi c h i g a n Av e n u e Ch i c a g o , lu A pril 12, 19W R o b e rt A. K ehoe, M.D. C llege of M edicine U niversity of C incinnati CijncI n n a t i , Ohio Dejar D r. K ehoe: I am e n c l o s i n g a copy o f a l e t t e r y o u w ro te t o me on O c to b e r 3 , 1939 ar^h a l s o a c o p y o f my l e t t e r to you o f S ep tem b er 2 9 , 1 9 3 9 . I had in q u i r e d f o r in f o r m a tio n p e r t a i n i n g t o th e s a f e maximum le a d c o n te n t f o r p a in ts used f o r sp ra y in g p u rp o se s. I would lik e to in q u ire a t th is tim e w hether you have any fu rth e r in fo rm atio n o r d a ta in reg ard to th is m a tte r. For sa fe ty purposes, we h a v e , i n t h e p a s t , r e q u i r e d th e le a d c o n te n t t o . b e k e p t a t l e s s thjan one p e r c e n t , Yie hav e b een a d v i s e d t h a t t h e r e w i l l b e a sailing in th e c o st o f p a in t purchases it" th e le a d content re q u ire ment is ra is e d to one per c e n t. .. I would a p p re c ia te any f u r th e r rem arks in re g a rd to th is m a tte r. I dm e n c l o s i n g a s e l f - a d d r e s s e d , stam p ed e n v e lo p e . Yours v e ry tr u ly , rvrvQ* M edical D ire c to r D. BB$:L E n el. N 6209.01 \ UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI C ollege o f M edicine G eneral H ospital L abqtatory of Applied P sysiology October 1939 D r. 3 . R. Reeve S tandard C il Company 91G S o u th M ich ig an Avenue Chicago, I ll in o is i Dear ID octor Reeves- ' I an not q u ite certain th a t i t is p o ssib le to answer th e 'q u e stio n ra ise d in your l e t t e r of Septem ber 2 9 th in a c a te g o r ic f a s h io n . The s a fe li m it s o f le a d as spray d o p lets in th e atm osphere have not been adquately determ ined so f a r as ny knowledge goes. N ev erth eless th e re has been a p ra c tic e i n some c i r c l e s o f re g a rd in g p a i n t as e s s e n t i a l l y l e a d - f r e e i f i t s le a d c o n te n t i s n e t i n e x c e s s o f 2 't. I am n o t i n p o s i t i o n to vouch d e fin ite ly fo r th e c o rre c tn e ss o f th is assum ption, but th e experience o f o th e r s 'mould seem t o i n d i c a t e t h a t t h i s e s t a b l i s h e s a r e a s o n a b le b a s is f o r s a f e ty . I f th e o n ly so u rce o f le a d in th e p a in t which you use a r is e s from th e c o n ta in e rs which have p re v io u sly c o n ta in e d le a d p a in t, I sh o u ld t h i n k .t h a t th e p e rc e n ta g e o f le a d would be w e ll under the lim it which I have m entioned. I th in k , however, i t m ight be w ell f o r you t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h i s p o i n t . Our own e x p e rie n c e w i t h s o - c a l l e d le a d -fre e p a in ts has been th a t th e ex p ressio n i s used somewhat lo o se ly , Even s o , I sh o u ld f e e l th a t th e u se o f r e s p i r a t o r s by your workmen should pro v id e re aso n ab ly adequate p ro te c tio n p ro v id in g th e r e s p ir a to r s are well f it te d and kept in good c o n d itio n . I am s o r r y I c a n n o t g iv e y o u more d e f i n i t e in fo rm a tio n b u t I t r u s t t h a t w hat I have .given you w a ll be o f some u s e . Very t r u l y y o u rs, U4K i / s / R o b e rt A. h eh ce ______ R o b e rt A. Kehoe, II. B. a N 6209.02 c 0 p Y C 0 P I September 29, 193? ' D r. R o b e rt A. Kehoe C ollege of M edicine U niversity of C incinnati C in c in n a ti, Ohio ' . . Dear; Dr. Kehoe: As you know, o u r company a t a l l tim e s i s a tte m p tin g to keep o u r w o rk in g c o n d i tio n s s a f e , an d a problem h a s b e e n p r e s e n te d to me i n r e g a r d to t h e u s e o f le a d i n o u r s p r a y p a i n t . Due to y o u r w ide knowledge in th e use of le a d , I s h a ll a p p re c ia te re c e iv in g your opinion in reg ard to th e follow ing: " T h a t do y o u c o n s id e r t h e s a f e maximum le a d c o n t e n t f o r p a i n t s t h a t a r e u se d f o r s p r a y in g p u rp o s e s ? The p a i n t we o b ta in e d i s c a l l e d le ad fre e p a in t, b u t th e v a rio u s com panies which p u t th is out claim th a t!d u e to th e m ixing o f th e p ain t in c o n ta in e rs th a t had p rev io u sly b e e n u s e d fo r le a d p a in t, a c e r ta in amount o f le a d c o n te n t w ill be foun<i in th e le a d f r e e p a in t i f t e s t s a re made. I t is th e d e sire o f our company, and a lso of th e p a in t com panies, f o r us to e s ta b lis h w hat we c o n sid e r a s a fe amount o f le a d in th is tyoe o f p a in t. I m ight s ta te th a t our em ployees use ch arc o al r e s p ir a to rs w hile sp ray in g . - I hope y o u w i l l be a b le t o f u r n i s h me w ith t h i s in f o r m a tio n a s soon as p o s s i b l e . I am e n c lo s in g a stam ped a d d r e s s e d e n v e lo p e . Yours very tr u l y , M.D. N 6209.03