The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-24
WORKERS HEALTH
BUREAU DEMANDS
LEAD GAS PROBE
A Menace to Life, Tells
Govt. Conference
(Continued from page u


the U. S. bureau of mines and the
commercial interests directly in
volved.
Control Of Industrial Polsons.
Charging that the bureau of mines
report is scientifically unsound the
workers health bureau calls for an
impartial, scientific investigation of
tetra ethyl lead and the prohibition
Of it's sale until 1t has been proven
harmless. The bureau will also ask
for some form Of government control
Of all industrial poisons.
Tetra ethyl lead is a liquid com
bination of lead and the ethyl group
to which grain alcohol belongs. After
going thru a series of changes It be-
comes tetra ethyl lead. The Stand.
ard Oil company and the General Mo-
tors Corporation who were looking
for some method of stopping the
knock" in gasoline engines, have de-
veloped tetra ethyl lead to add to
gasoline.
Extremely Poisonous.
Tetra ethyl lead is extremely poi
sonous. Poisoning occurs when the
liquid is absorbed thru the skin or
when It's fumes are inhaled. In its
concentrated form as pure tetra ethyl
lead, it affects workers engaged in
it's manufacture. When 1t is mixed
with certain other chemicals and be.
comes ethyl fluid, 1t is l danger to
anyone handling it. In distributing
and filling stations where 1t is mixed
with gasoline, it affects not only work
ers in those places, but garage work
ers or others liable to handle gaso-
line; chauffeurs, car owners, etc.
Finally the health Of the general pub
lie as well as that Of garage workers,
chauffeurs, teamsters, traffic cops,
may be affected by breathing lead
dust from the exhaust gas of engines
burning ethyl gasoline.
Tetra ethyl lead is so poisonous that
it was considered by the U. S. gov
eminent for possible use in chemical
warfare, Experiments by the chemi-
cal warfare service showed that four
dogs and eleven guinea pigs died from
absorbing tetra ethyl lead thru the
skin. The dogs died after exposure
Of from twenty-four TO one hundred
and eighty hours; the guinea pigs af-
ter from twelve to sixty hours.
Dangers to Motorists.
Attention was focused on the dan
ger in manufacturing tetra ethyl lead
last fall when five men died from
handling the fluid at the Standard Oil
company's plant in Bayway, New Jer-
sey. During the past seventeen months
the total number Of deaths from tetra
ethyl lead has reached eleven.
The method of mixing ethyl into
gasoline involves considerable dan
ger from splashes of the poison, as
well as from inhaling the fumes. Elk
posture to repeated doses of small
amounts Of tetra ethyl lead cause mild
symptoms of lead poisoning which
would only come to light after years
of exposure. Studies of medical ex-
aminations of workers exposed to this
risk, have not been made.
Exhaust gases from engines burning
tetra ethyl lead contain lead com,
pounds in the form of dust. The dan
ger here is from repeated small doses
liable to result in chronic lead poison
ing.
Since 1929, the U. s. bureau of
mines has been carrying on investi-
cations Of the danger to the public
from exhaust gases containing tetra
ethyl lead. The report was undertake
en- at the request of and paid for by
the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation which
is owned and operated by the Stand
ard Oil company of New Jersey and
the General Motors Corporation. The
company continued the manufacture
and sale Of tetra ethyl lead during
the investigation.
Government Probe a Farce.
In December, 1924, the bureau of
mines made public its report with
the conclusion that there was no dan
ger to the public from breathing ex,
haust gases containing tetra ethyl
lead. On the strength OF this report
the ban which had been placed on the
manufacture and sale of tetra ethyl
lead and ethyl gasoline in New York
and New. Jersey was lifted in both
states.
The bureau Of mines report is based
on experiments on ninety-seven ami
mails. At least half as many animals
were used as controls; that is, they
were kept in fresh air, while the test
animals were placed in rooms to
which a certain amount OF exhaust gas
containing tetra ethyl lead had been
added. Investigations were started
December 6. 1928, and were complet-
ed July, 20, 1924. the purpose Of the
Investigations being to determine
wether the test animals, exposed to
tetra ethyl lead, showed signs Of lead
poisoning.
However such poor stock was used
that 80 per cent OF the rabbits, both
test and control, and about 25 per
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