Evening star., 1925-05-20
ETHYL GAS SAFE,
ITS MAKERS SAY
Little Danger in Exhaust
Fumes, Bureau of Mines
Expert Testifies.

A notable array Of Government
officials, chemists and leaders in the
motor industry, called together by
the Public Health Service to consider
hazards recently demonstrated in the
manufacture of ethyl gas" heard a
strong defense of the new motor fuel
by its manufacturers and several
medical authorities today.
Defective methods of manufacture
and handling of the deadly tetra-
ethyl lead compound used in the fuel.
which resulted in a number of fatali-
ties, have been entirely corrected so
that virtually all danger of poisoning
has been eliminated. the conference
was informed by w. F. Harrington
OF T.. /. du Pont de Nemours & Co.,
manufacturers of the compound for
the Ethyl Gas Corporation.
That little danger, if any, exists
in inhalation of exhaust vapors of
ethyl gas, was indicated in a report
OF experiments on animals conducted
by the Bureau Of Mines, read by DIR.
r. r. Savers, chief surgeon Of the
bureau.
Lead Poison Absent.
The entire group of animals used
showed no loss of appetite or other
symptoms usually associated with
ed. Chemical analysis of animals that
died or that were killed gave no evil
dence of lead storage"
The primary problem of the con-
ference was to determine definitely
whether the fumes of the gas is in
furious to health. and many were on
hand to take sides in the debate on
this point. The discussion took place
at SO b street southeast.
Il i
retary Work and Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury Moss, Surg. Gen.
Cumming called upon representatives
of commercial interests to submit
facts. Mr.. Harrington asserted that
his company believed manufacture of
ethyl gas could be carried out with
safety. He said his company had
manufactured 1900 pounds of the
gas by the bromine process without
serious mishap.
1t was found advisable, Harrington
continued, to change the manufacture
of the gas to the so-called chloride
process, which was begun March 20,
1928. Manufacture under the chloride
process, he added, could be conducted
with safety.
Needs Careful Handling.
Thomas Midgley, jr., vice president
of the Ethyl Gas Corporation, said his
company had experienced trouble with
the gas in it's early stages of develop
ment, but that difficulties had been
overcome and the gas could be han
died safely If proper safeguards were
taken. Mixture of the ethyl gas with
gasoline, he added, presented no diff
Guilty if carelessness in the handling
were reduced to a minimum.
Manufacture of Ethyl gas, DR.. Robert
Kehoe of the University of Cincinnati
said, has developed to a point where
the hazards in handling it have been
reduced to a minimum. BY the in
stallation of proper machinery, he as
serted, the use of the gas mask and
a high rate of ventilating devices the
hazards presented in manufacture
have been overcome to a large extent.
DR.. Savers described the effect of
exhaust gases from an engine using
gasoline containing five times the
amount of ethyl fluid used in COM
mercial gasoline.
THE entire group of animals" he
asserted, showed no lead line, loss OF
appetite or other symptoms usually
associated with lead poisoning. OF the
animals exposed, only guinea pigs and
rabbits showed storage in the three
hour group. Some of the animals in
all species showed storage in the six
hour group. which was more or less
proportionate to the total time of ex-
posure."
Another experiment, DR.. Sayers con-
tinued, was conducted to determine
the effect of inhalation of vapors from
ethyl gasoline and various other mo.
tor fumes.
Effects of Straight Gas.
Guinea pigs subjected" he said ito
ia to 125 exposures of straight gaso-
line showed no symptoms in low con-
centration. In high concentration, l
per cent for one hour, marked intoX-
ications occurred temporarily. Sim
liar exposure of guinea pigs to COM
mercial ethyl gasoline showed no eff
feet in the lower concentration. No
dogs or monkeys exposed to 3 per
cent gasoline and per cent CONNER
cial ethyl gasoline have shown any
i'll effects
The report submitted by DR.. Sayers
said that the danger in the manufac-
turing and handling of concentrated
tetra ethyl lead has been studied only
to a limited extent.