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{
    "localId": "75718993",
    "label": "Letters Sent to Mr. Roach [John Roach], June 17, 1924",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718993"
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    "id": "75718993",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718993",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letters Sent to Mr. Roach [John Roach], June 17, 1924",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75718993",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
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    "ocrText": "June 17, 1924\nState Department of Labor\n571 Jersey Av.\nJersey City, N. J.\nAtt. Mr. Roach\nDear Sirs:-\nConfirming our conversation during your recent visit\nto our plant with Miss Erskine and also our conversation over\nthe telephone, the following covers the various points upon\nwhich you have asked me to make a report.\nEmployment dates of various operators concerning whom you have\nreceived reports.\nMrs. Hazel Kuser - 1917 - 1920 - Dates not complete in our records\nMiss M. Maggia - October 1, 1917 to January 25, 1922\nMiss Virginia Rudolph - September 23, 1918 to April 13, 1921\nMiss Grace Fryer - Have not located employment record\nMiss Margaret Cargough - August 12, 1919 to December 24, 1923\nMiss Kategrine Schaub - March 22, 1917 to March 19, 1920\nMiss Helen Quinlan - July 13, 1918 to March 19, 1920\nThe first case of necrosis that came to our attention\nwas that of Miss Carlough who left our employ on December 24, 1923.\nShortly afterward we received notice from the mother of Mrs. Kuser\nstating that Mrs. Kuser was about to make claim for compensation\nbecause of having received phosphorous poisoning during her. em-\nployment at our plant four years ago.\nThere were various rumors in circulation which caused\nus to start a thorough investigation into the matter. As for the\nphosphorous side of the proposition if it has been found that this\nwas phosphorous poisoning it could not possibly have come from our\nmaterial as there is no phosphorous used in the making up of this\nmaterial.\nOur first step was to have a thorough investigation\nmade of our oldest operators by the Life Extension Institute to\ndetermine their present condition particularly with reference to\nblood and teeth. The report of this Institution covering all the\ncases stated they could find nothing indicative of anything hazard-\nous in the handling of our luminous material and the operators\n- 2 -\nshowed only such physical condition as is general amongst the\nwomen industrial workers.\nIn the meantime we got in touch with Dr. Drinker of\nthe Harvard School of Public Health in order to enlist his\nservices to make a more thorough investigation and determine\nwhether there could be anything detrimental to the health in\nthe handling of our material. He has not as yet completed his\ninvestigation as he is subjecting animals to an injection of\nour material and observing its effects. His preliminary report\nstated that he could not find where there could be any chance of\npoisoning from the zinc itself. The other phase of the material\nwould be its radio active properties.\nThere is considerable literature on the matter of the\neffects of Radium and a lot of it is contradictory. I am en-\nclosing a small pamphlet relative to the use of Radium intra-\nvenously. The quantity of Radium handled, of course, must be\nconsidered an important factor. Our operators when painting\nthe largest number of dials per day using the greatest amount\nof material will handle about ten grams of luminous zinc. In\nthis quantity there is .07 mgs. of radio active material but\nat no one time is this before the operator at one time, being\ndistributed to the operator as needed. The average amount of\nluminous material used per dial is approximately fifty milli-\ngrams.\nDuring the past seven years we have had in our employ\nas dial painters approximately 375 girls.\nThere are located at different points throughout the\ncountry other application plan ts where this work is done and\nto whom we forward some material used in the work. These plants\nare\nAnsonia Clock Co., 7th Av. & 12th St., Brooklyn, N.Y.\nNew Haven Clock Co.\nNew Haven, Conn.\nWaterbury Clock Co.\nWaterbury, Conn.\nE. Ingraham Co.\nBristol, Conn.\nElgin National Watch Co.\nElgin, Ill.\nSouth Bend Watch Co.\nSouth Bend, Ind.\nLuminite Corp.\n24 Scott St.\nNewark, N. J.\nIngersoll Co. Ltd., Kingsway\nLondon, W.C.-2, England\nIngersoll Co., Ltd.,\nMontreal, Que., Canada\nFrankford Arsenal, Bridesburg,\nPhiladelphia, Pa.\nAir Mail Field,\nMaywood, Ill.\nAir Intermediate Depot,\nFairfield, Ohio\nSupply Officer, Bldg. F3, Navy Yard,\nBrooklyn, N.Y.\nWe have one competitor, namely the Radium Dial Corp.,\nwho furnish material or have plants located at\n- 3 -\nNew Haven Clock Co.\nPittsburgh\nLong Island City\nOntario, Ill., or Peru, Ill.\nAs far as it has been possible for us to check condi-\ntions at these various plants no condition similar to that re-\nported as coming from our plant has been found. Possibly your\ndepartment has means of checking more thoroughly.\nIn view of the fact that all operators who have been re-\nported as having trouble were employed practically at the same\nperiod, a question has arisen in our minds as to the possibility\nof an infection received from the brushes used in painting or\npossibly having been exposed to some other source of infection.\nTo offset any possibility of brush infection we are now steriliz-\ning all brushes used in application work.\nAlso, in accordance with your request will post a sign\nwarning new operators not to put the brushes in their mouths. I\nbelieve this covers all facts pertaining to this matter which we\nhave at the present time.\nWe shall acquaint you with Dr. Drinkers findings as to\nthe animal tests as soon as we have his report. If there is any\nother information which you desire we shall be glad to furnish\nyou with it if possible and cooperate td find a solution for this\nproblem, as it is of very great importance to us to do so and you\ncan rest assured that we are doing all possible to find the solu-\ntion.\nThis material has been used both in this country and\nabroad for a number of years, and no report of any similar con-\ndition has ever come to our attention. Needless to say the\nvarious rumors which have been circulated have caused us con-\nsiderable difficulty in holding proper employees and in this\nway caused a loss in business because of inability to fill or-\nders promptly. There are employed in this work throughout the\ncountry many times the number we have at our plant. We ask that\nin your investigation of conditions at other plants that you pro -\nceed as cautiously and as diplomatically as possible in order that\nthere is no unnecessary confusion which might cause other plants\nto be surject to delays such as we have experienced because of\nwild rumors.\nAs stated before we are ready to assist you in every\nway possible to reach a satisfactory solution of this problem.\nVery truly yours\nHBV/H.\nUNITED STATES RADIUM CORP.\nVice-President"
}