Document x1jV8a50NNy4xYR0MvKEXLp30

CLAIM DEPARTMENT LEWIS R. LONG, Super vising Adjust er J. LEE HUGHES, Adjust er 3& Jmn/rrt /ro/zt/sttty y //r r t / / r i %/(/< ///M f ' / t f S f w / l f f n y ffir,7rrrr///rA. ffm fi/rr/f 147 MILK STREET BOSTON9, MASS. PHONE HUBBARD 2800 December 8, 1949 Dr. Robert A. Kehoe lettering Laboratories College of Medicine University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio ' B-6641006 Gulf Re: Dear Doctor: Our assured. Gulf Oil Coro., has suggested t:.at w- c tact you with reference to this claim made in 1949 by the above-centime -imar.t to the effect that he is disabled as a result of lead poisoning due :ds exposure in 1944 as a truck driver for our assured. As yet we do not have the hospital records r.or nave had the claimant examined. Upon receipt of the complete hospital records and your opinion in this case, we intend to have the claimant examinee by Dr. Joseph Aub, Toxicologist, of the Massachusetts General nosvital and also have film review our file for his opinion. However, prior to this examination, we would appreciate your opinion based on your experience -ith these tyres of cases. The following information I believe will e of value to you. This man worked for Grli oil from 1930 to 1934 driving a "stake" truck.On this job he handled only fuel oil (range oil) and household heating oil. In 1934 the claimant left our assured for several months, he returned to work as a truck driver in kovember, 1934 and from then until August, 1944 he drove "stake" trucks, tank trucks and bulk trucks. These various trucks are used to haul refined gas, containing tetra ethyl lead; diesel fuel oil, lubricating oil and kerosene. The claimant's duties were to inspect the truck, load the tanks of the truck and deliver fuel to customers. It was a company rule that rubber gloves be used wrnen loading trucks. In September, 1944 the claimant vrant on vacation and vihile on vscation, he was stricken ill and. was unable to return to work, according to tne attending physician his legs turned blue, swollen and were very painful. 3-664100; December 8, 1949 2- - - He ran a temperature of 102 to 103. He wa3 hospitalised and the admitting diagnosis was: 1. Undiagnosed disease. 2. Old inflamed bursa of left knee. 3 Aquestion of throrubo phlebitis of the left lung saphenous vein. The attending physician stated his diagnosis was obscure but questioned the possibility of lead neuritis or some nerve pathology. In November, 1944 the large veins of tae claimant's legs were ligated and a blood clot lodged in the lung causing pneumonia. The claimant recovered from this and returned to work at our assureds, Gulf Oil, on light work in February, 1945- He still had a partial paralysis of the legs and could do only a clerk's desk job. He did this work until August, 1949 when he was discharged. Please note that we have unconfirmed hearsay reports that the clninant's sister is a victim of Buerger's Disease. It does not appear that the claimant was ever exposed for any period of time to dense fumes in a small space and it seems tix-t his only contact for a substantial period could have been an external skin contact. The claimant never had to clean sludge from ohe tank trucks. Also Ethyl Company tests have failed to showlead residuals in this sludge. It seems tnere is no uniformity in the various cargos of fuel received from Texas as to trie tetra ethyl lead cor.tained or amounts of sulphur. Records of recent shipments picked at random indicate tney differ in amounts of tetra etnyl lead. For example, in three selected cargos, the amounts of lead were 1.85 cc per gallon, 2.58 cc per gallon and .068 cc per gallon. The sulphur content varies but is never above 1/100 of 1%. I hope that this information will be sufficient to enable you to furnish us with an opinion as to whether or not, from your experience, it is likely or probable that this man is suffering from a lead poisoning sustained while working for our assured. If there is any further information that you need that I can obtain for you, please do not hesitate to so inform me. Thank you very much for 3rour coopera.tion. Very truly yours, R. D. Morrill, Claim Dept. 0016083