The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-11-12
TETRA- ETHYL is
TRIED OUT On
ANIMALS
Tests by Bureau Of Mines
Show That Danger Is Not
As Reported

Experiments conducted by the
United States Bureau, OF Mines on
small menagerie OF animals
show. thus far. that gasoline con.
tanning tetra-ethyi-lead is not more
dangerous with this ingredient than
without it. according to Colonel
Percy e. Barbour, editor of Min
ing and Metallurgy." official jour.
nal of the American institute Of
Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.
Colonel Barbour warns against
the hasty- passage of Legislation to
prevent the use of lead or other
substances which make fumes dan.
gerous to motorists. The death Of
five STANDARD Oil employees IN New
Jersey, he thinks does not neces-
sarily indicate carelessness.
During the war extensive ex-
periments were carried out to dis.
cover dope for gasoline that
would increase its effectiveness and
power in motor-driven vehicles, Z
says Coloner Barbour, by the &C
cidental suggestion Of non-tech-
nical man connected with one Of
the large copper refining COM
panies which produced. as a by
product, considerable quantities Of
tellurium, for which there was no
known commercial use, it was dis.
covered that tellurium could be
used as a dope with marvellous re.
suits.
"One Of the largest motor com.
panies of the country, after extern
sive tests, became convinced Of the
value Of tellurium for this pur-
pose. However, the total production
of tellurium in this country was
only one per cent Of what they
estimated would be the normal motor
demand. so that tellurium was drop
ped and still remains a metallurgi-
cal nonstrosity, without any prac-
teal use.
Tetra-EthyILead In Use.
Further EXPERIMENTS revealed the
fact that ra-ethy-lead was more
efficacious than tellurium. The
General Motors Company. the
Standard Oil Company, and the Du.
Pont Company have been making
experiments, and commercial pro,
cess for. the production of tetra-
ethyl lead has been worked out
and a great quantity of gasoline has
been sold with this ingredient as a
dope and a very large public de.
Mand has grown up.
The +, oduct brings an increased
price but tends to eliInirate the
knock and othe" not. ir.uhIea
and that from this standpoint, it
II desired by the motoring pub
tic evidenced by .hs increasing
demand at filling sta org.
During the last week in October
fatalities began 10 result in III.
lia way Laboratory an1 piant Of me
Standard Oil Companv WITCH were
attributed to this gas. OF the
forty-five employees there five have
died and only tel nave remained
unaffected.
1.-THE fumes from this combina.
ton have not been instantly deadly
In these fatal cases, but have rang.
cd in their effects from severe nerv.
Gus arrangement, to insanity, or to
violent seizures ending in death.
All Of the men affected. to what.
ever degree, except the deceased, are
now in hospitals under observation
and treatment.
Prior to these regrettable acct
dents there has been some pubIlc
warming that lead fumes, which
are well-known to be toxic, addel
to the gasoline fumes might pre-
sent municipal problem where
traffic congestion is already SO
great that the. ordinary exhaust
from the motors has become OBJ