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HARVARD UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF PUBLICHEALTHED
CV
JUN 21 1924
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY
55 VAN DYKE STREET
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
June 20, 1924.
Mr. Arthur Roeder,
United States Radium Corporation,
30 Church Street,
UNITED STATES
New York City.
RADIUM COMP.
My dear Mr. Roeder:
I have been in the country for a few days, hence the delay
in answering your letters of the 13th and 18th.
We shall be intensely interested in reading Mr. Viedt's
report and wish you would send it on before you come.
In regard to your letter of the 18th, we are glad to hear
that the State Department people are working with you. Since the
problem is a difficult one I suggest you make sure that such
inquiries as are made go through medical channels in the
department and that the physician making them read our report.
Of course I will be glad to be of any assistance but have little
to add to former statements.
I am sorry our report impressed you as preliminary and
circumstantial and fear that reiteration can do little to alter
such an impression. With the exception of over-exposure to
radium your plant at South Orange is hygienically excellent. We
found blood changes in many of your employees which could be
explained on no other grounds. Photographic films placed at
various points in your plant and carried by workers have been
fogged in varying degree and in short periods of time, and
sweepings from various parts of the plant contain radium. The
-2-
literature upon radium shows a tendency toward localization of
radium in bone and we have cited instances of jaw necrosis
following the use of radium. These points do not seem to me
to deal with anything except observed fact. Conditions in
your plant at Orange subject workers to radium exposure beyond
the degree permitted in first-rate institutes handling radium
for therapeutic purposes. The recommendations we have made
are designed to bring the practice in your plant into accord
with current usage in handling radium products and gauging
their effects on human beings. We do not believe zinc to have
any part in the trouble which has developed except in SO far
as it may act as a passive carrier of radium. It will, however,
be apparent that most of the strictures suggested would result
in elimination or reduction of zinc sulphide absorption so that
the idea of damage from this source is cared for as a sort of
by-product.
I trust this will make our position clear and that you
will send me Mr. Viedt's report since I imagine you must have
new facts in your hands and in these we shall be most interested.
Very sincerely yours,
Dunier
Cecil K. Drinker, M.D.
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"ocrText": "2x,\nHARVARD UNIVERSITY\nSCHOOL OF PUBLICHEALTHED\nCV\nJUN 21 1924\nDEPARTMENT OF PHYSIOLOGY\n55 VAN DYKE STREET\nBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS\nJune 20, 1924.\nMr. Arthur Roeder,\nUnited States Radium Corporation,\n30 Church Street,\nUNITED STATES\nNew York City.\nRADIUM COMP.\nMy dear Mr. Roeder:\nI have been in the country for a few days, hence the delay\nin answering your letters of the 13th and 18th.\nWe shall be intensely interested in reading Mr. Viedt's\nreport and wish you would send it on before you come.\nIn regard to your letter of the 18th, we are glad to hear\nthat the State Department people are working with you. Since the\nproblem is a difficult one I suggest you make sure that such\ninquiries as are made go through medical channels in the\ndepartment and that the physician making them read our report.\nOf course I will be glad to be of any assistance but have little\nto add to former statements.\nI am sorry our report impressed you as preliminary and\ncircumstantial and fear that reiteration can do little to alter\nsuch an impression. With the exception of over-exposure to\nradium your plant at South Orange is hygienically excellent. We\nfound blood changes in many of your employees which could be\nexplained on no other grounds. Photographic films placed at\nvarious points in your plant and carried by workers have been\nfogged in varying degree and in short periods of time, and\nsweepings from various parts of the plant contain radium. The\n-2-\nliterature upon radium shows a tendency toward localization of\nradium in bone and we have cited instances of jaw necrosis\nfollowing the use of radium. These points do not seem to me\nto deal with anything except observed fact. Conditions in\nyour plant at Orange subject workers to radium exposure beyond\nthe degree permitted in first-rate institutes handling radium\nfor therapeutic purposes. The recommendations we have made\nare designed to bring the practice in your plant into accord\nwith current usage in handling radium products and gauging\ntheir effects on human beings. We do not believe zinc to have\nany part in the trouble which has developed except in SO far\nas it may act as a passive carrier of radium. It will, however,\nbe apparent that most of the strictures suggested would result\nin elimination or reduction of zinc sulphide absorption so that\nthe idea of damage from this source is cared for as a sort of\nby-product.\nI trust this will make our position clear and that you\nwill send me Mr. Viedt's report since I imagine you must have\nnew facts in your hands and in these we shall be most interested.\nVery sincerely yours,\nDunier\nCecil K. Drinker, M.D."
}