Document wQonkOnYvLanmo1Xwo09kvOd

N TER-OFFICE CORRESPON D EN CE Et h y l Ga so l i n e Co r po r a t i o n C h r y s l e r Bu il d in g 135 Ea s t 4 2 nd St r e e t N E W Y O R K January 29, 1932. Dr. R. A. Kehoe, Dear Dr. Kehoe: Thanks for your letter of January 26th with re gard to -the experiment that you wish to carry out with several of Arch Maxwell's personnel. I have shown your letter to Mr. Webb and both of us are in full accord with your proposal. I think the matter of deciding whether we should repeat our regular investigation next year is one that can wait for a while. I agree with you that it does not seem necessary to make up a supplemental budget for the additional acpense in volved but if it should develop later on in the year that any particular activity is going to cost substantially more than the present budget I think we should then give consideration to the preparation of an additional one to include such expense plus the increased amount that the experiment is going to cost us. With regard to insurance, I think it would be well for us to definitely employ the men on a weekly salary basis which will- bring them under our compensation insurance so that if any liability should occur we are fully protected. It will certainly be a splendid thing to have the final answer to the question of whether Ethyl Gasoline is in any way an industrial or public health hazard. ME 0000567 P.S. I assume that you will want to pay their salaries direct, which is quite in order and we will not charge it to the Salaries Account but to Account 2931, which is a sub-account under Medical Research Problems. However, they should execute all of the usual forms cover-ing the employment of salaried men. ' A.E.M. January 26, 1932 Mr. A. E. Mlttnacht, Ethyl Gasoline Corp., Chrysler Bldg., New York, N. Y. . Dear Mr. Mittnacht: You will remember that some time ago I discussed with you the nature of a crucial experiment which I wanted to carry out on the question of Ethyl Gasoline. This in volves the study of the day-to-day lead exposure of filling station employees in their handling of 'Ethyl Gasoline. I have corresponded with Maxwell over the matter and have con cluded arrangements which I think will cover my purposes adequately. I have had to modify my plans somewhat in or der to meet the conditions necessary in avoiding complica tions which might otherwise develop in the hands of the Sohio people. The arrangement as planned runs as follows. Two yopng pen selected as suitable for their work by their personnel department, are to begin in the laboratory today. These two men, having had no previous exposure to Ethyl Gasoline or to any other lead compound as far as our infor mation goes, start on a three months study which consists of a complete day-to-day study of their urine and faeces, together with the lead content of their food as determined by~e.xa.ct duplicates of their every meal. At the end of the three months period they are to be placed in filling sta tion work by the sohio Company. Since they will take the place of two older employees, I have arranged to take two such older men into the laboratory to study in exactly the same fashion. Meanwhile, the observations will continue on the two first men during not less than three months of daily exposure in the handling of Ethyl Gasoline. The combination of these observations on two men for three months, and four men for three months, will give us the most sensitive measure of lead exposure intrinsic In this occupation that has ever been made* It is the most ambitious experiment which has been attempted, and it is most likely to be productive not only of the information which is badly needed for the Corporation, but also of in formation which we in our general work on lead very much require. If this experiment tprns out to be negative, as I suspect from previous information that it will, In my opinion it will provide a final and complete answer to the 9990000 3 -2 question of whether Ethyl Gasoline is in any way either an industrial or public health hazard* In any case, I feel that the money spent in this way will be much more effectively spent than that which might be put into a repetition of the regular investigations which we have previously carried on. . / Mr. Webb spoke to Mr. siebenthaler a few days / ago about the possible desirability of repeating our y regular investigation at the end of the ten year period, v/hich will have been completed in 1933. I believe that the investigation which I am undertaking at present will be very much more informative and very much more to the point than will any repetition of the work we have pre viously carried out. However, if after this it seems desirable to carry out another such investigation, we will be In position to do so. I give you the details of this experiment for, as you may anticipate, it will cost some money. We ' shall begin with this week paying the salaries Of the two men at the rate of #3.50 per day for a eeyen dayweek, and in addition we shall have to purchase the exact duplicates of their meals. I anticipate that the expense of this work will run from $90.00 to $100.00 a week for salaries and food for the first three months, and will be approximately twice that much for the next three months. On the basis of this estimate a sum of approximately . $3600.00 will be required for the completion of the study. Considering the cost of carrying out one of our regular routine investigations this1is not a huge expense* and in my opinion It Is an entirely justifiable expense. However, I have not allowed for quite this expenditure In my budget. Doubtless you will remember that I estimated the expense to be approximately 12000.00. That was before I realized the necessity or the advisability of carrying the two additional Sohib employees through the period of observa tion. However, the discrepancy Is not enormous, and unless you will feel it d;eslrable to do so I shall not make any request for further moneys in the budget at this time. I should prefer to wait and see whether any change is neces sary. KB 0000569 I should be pleased to have your comment on any part of this program, or any advice which you have to sug gest If you feel that any protection is required by way of insurance or whatnot during that period in which these men appear as employees of the laboratory. Very truly yours, RAktEJT ( -3 P.S. * Will you be good enough to show this letter to Mr. Webb if he is interested in knowing what I hope to accomplish by means of this experiment. R.A HE 0000570