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{
    "localId": "75718759",
    "label": "Memorandum to Mr. Roeder [A. Roeder], March 18, 1924",
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    "id": "75718759",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum to Mr. Roeder [A. Roeder], March 18, 1924",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718759",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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{
    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
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    "ocrText": "3/18/24\nOrganization\nMr. Roeder\nREC\nMAR 19 1924\nThis is to acknowledge receipt of your memo of the 14th\nregarding the above subject.\nI To not feel quite as optimistic about this matter as\nyou do in view of some later developments which have come up. UNITED\nWhile the Life Extension Institute have made a report I do not\nSTATES\nbelieve that this will satisfy our various operators and that we\nCORP.\nmust wait for Dr. Drinker's final report in or der to really con-\nvince them that there is no injurious element in our zinc. I\nbelieve TO should also take steps to secure all information that\nwe can from various authorities regarding possibilities of zinc\npoisoning, or information as to how zine is used in various medical\npreparations. It seems to me that if we secure this information\nand publish same in bulletin form it would help material to counter-\nact statements made by various dentists and physician S to some of\nour operators.\nI have heard of some more cases which have been attributed\nto zinc, some of the operators not having been with us for a con-\nsiderable time. There is also another operator who left us at\nChristmas time and who is having some trouble wi th an infection\nof the jaw, which is attributed to zinc.\nIn the Life Extension report for Miss Smith and Mrs.\nMaillefer the condition of their teeth was commented upon and\nrecommendations were made that some of the teeth should be re-\nmoved. Miss Smith, and I believe Mrs. Maillefer, have both been\ninformed by Drg. Davidson and Barry that they should not have\ntheir teeth taken care of, or these particular dentists would\nnot take care of them as long as they remain in our employ. It\nis statements of this kind which keep up the unrest and anxiety\nof our operators and it is this that we must. counteract with re-\nports or authentic information from individuals who O can be con-\nsidered reliable.\nNe have increased our application force with the ad-\ndition of six painters but sooner or later this general impression\nas to poisoning, etc. will be broadcast and further unrest no\ndoubt will be the result.\nI do not feel that we have finished this whole proposi-\ntion, that we must be continually on the alert to get whatever in-\nformation we can and present it so that our operators will fully\nunderstand and believe that when we state that our work is harmless\nthat it is so, and that the mere fact that poor teeth conditions\nare coincident w1 th their employ here and not the result of having\nbeen in contact with our zinc material.\nI believe it would be a very good plant to submit some\nof our new operators, when we finally decide on those whom we be-\nOrganization\n- 2 -\nlieve are satisfactory as far as painting is concerned, to a reliable\nlocal dentist for an E-ray examination of the teeth in order to see\nwhether any such condition as prevailed in some of our old operators\nreally prevails in the ordinary run of individuals. It seems to me\nthat this would be a safe precaution and one which we should take\nin the case of each future employee in our application plant in or-\nder that we may have a record of at least their teeth condition go\nthat in the future no reflection can be made on our application de-\npartment.\nI shall take this up further with you on Tuesday.\nVery truly yours\nHBV/H."
}