Document vyaVeD4XdzkgRZpQQkJVm9mOb

April 1, 1955 CONFIDENTIAL Mr. L. A. Lohman Superintendet - Administrative Wood River Refinery Shell Oil Company P. 0. Box 262 Wood River > Illinois Dear Mr. Lohman: I send you herewith two copies of the analytical report on the sample of rust and scale which you forwarded to us recently. You will note that the steam-distillable lead (which is that portion of the lead which was present as tetraethyl lead or asorganic decomposition products of tetraethyl lead) was present ' only in a minute trace. This, from the hygienic viewpoint, as I indicated in my letter of March 12, is wholly insignificant, unless a very large quantity of the scale containing it were to be suspended in the atmosphere as a dust, in the course of a mechanical (scraping or sand-blasting) operation for the removal of the rust in a dry state. The inorganic lead in this sample of scale is a bit higher than it Is usually found to be, but it would not be a source of any danger at all under the conditions of exposure which you described, since this is not volatile and cannot get distributed into the atmosphere so long as it is wet. I believe that this information, plus that in my letter of March 12 should answer all of your questions and those of your people, except for that which concerned the handling of their clothes. Clothes contaminated with sludge which happened to be relatively high in its content of tetraethyl lead, might well be a source of hazard to anyone who had to handle it. However, if the clothing were handled with a reasonable degree of prudence and were cleaned promptly rather than being left to lie around the house, it should not give rise to any serious danger. Clothing contaminated with dust containing inorganic lead com pounds in low concentration cannot be regarded as a source of hazard to the housewife, laundress or any other person, under ordinary conditions of handling. It Is conceivable that such dusty clothes handled daily and regularly 5n large volume, such as In a commercial laundry, would have to be handled with reasonable care to avoid suspending the dust in the atmosphere of the laundry. However, this is the worst situation that Mr. L. A. Lohman - (2) - April 1, 1953 could be foreseen,and even it would be of no importance under conditions of ordinary, sensible, and reasonably cleanly handling. Sincerely yours, RAK ef Enc. Robert A. Kehoe, M. D. KF 0009755 Materials Submitted; Boquiroeli T&nlt, Soale by Mr* & 4* hokmm9 ;'uprinfcoiulonfc. Administrative, food Kivar neflnary, aboil Oil Coapaay, Jp, 0* Sox Z&Z9 mod ftlver, ZUlnoi# load Analyaia wmmm Analysis Bomber Steam Distillable bead Xiioj^ale Load - 55&-1854 - 0.0002# * 0.55# Reported t 5*551.55 \iU 0009756 Material Subelttads Bequtreat Tank Seal# ky &r* i** 4* i*oj-isai# Superl&fceadent* AdaKiaitr*lY# oo i*#r lUtmr$, $hll mi C<mpm?0 ?. d,, He# 2$2# k c mk i fUrmr, Zlltml# Lead Analysis a asM. ' Aa*lyi# Hwtteer Statue t'la tillable kead laorgpalo 1**4 $`54*10$% * Q#0002$' * 0*$$ imported t $*$1-$$ kF 0009757