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{
    "localId": "75724849",
    "label": "Letters Sent to Harry H. Bowing [H.H. Bowing], February 1, 1930",
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    "title": "Letters Sent to Harry H. Bowing [H.H. Bowing], February 1, 1930",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001959.pdf",
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    "ocrText": "February lst,1930.\nDr. Harry H. Bowing,\nc/o Mayo Clinic,\nRochester, Minn.\nDear Dr. Bowing:\nI am glad to herewith confirm in letter form the matter dis-\ncussed with you personally on Monday January 27th.\nFrom 1916 to 1925 the United States Radium Corporation or its\npredecessors maintained an application plant for applying radioactive luminous\nmaterial to watch, clock dials, etc., during which period there were probably\nemployed a total of approximately 400 girls. The radioactive luminous material\nwas applied to the numerals of the dials with small camel's hair brushes.\nAs you realize, this operation is rather a delicate one and requires consider-\nable skill. The brushes had to be well \"pointed\" and to do this a good many of\nthe operators used their lips, although there were other methods provided. While\nthe practice of \"pointing\" the brushes with their lips was forbidden on account\nof sanitary reasons, still the girls continued the practice with our knowledge.\nEarly in 1924 a dentist in Newark called to our attention the\nfact that he felt there was an industrial hazard existing in our work. We\nimediately had a study made, with reference to the materials used as well as\nworking conditions, by the Public Health Department of Harvard. Due to the\nfact that they could not attribute a similar condition which they found exist-\ning in a number of our employees to any particular cause, they advised us that\nthey would look upon the radioactive constituents of our material with suspicion,\nand advised certain recommendations which we immediately put into effect. We\nfollowed this up by discussing the possibilities of the radium presenting B\nhazard, with both medical and scientific men versed in the subject of radio-\nactivity, and they both felt that the conclusions drawn by the Public Health\nSchool of Harvard were rather far fetched. We had other investigations made\nsome of which indicated that it was questionable whether there was an industrial\nhazard existing in our plant. However, as time progressed and more data and\ninformation became available regarding the conditions existing among certain\nof our employees who had been engaged in this practice, our attitude changed\nand we recognized that there probably was a hazard connected with this work.\nThe seat of the trouble could be traced back to the practice of \"pointing\" the\nbrushes with the lips, thereby serving as a means of introducing the material\ninto the system.\nThe radioactive luminous material consisted of phosphorescent\nzincalphide, which is primarily sine sulphide of a special crystaline nature,\ncontaining one (1) part of cadmium sulphide to 820 parts of zine sulphide, one\n(1) part of copper sulphide to 7150 parts of zinc sulphide, and one (1) part of\nmanganous sulphide to 23000 parts of zinc sulphide. The radium or mosothorium\nwas do\n-2-\nwas added to the basic zinc sulphide mechanically, and the amount varied from\none (1) part in 140,000 to one (1) part in 33,000.\nInasmuch as it was not a loaded brush which was \"pointed\", but the\ndry brush, it is obvious that at the worst the amount of radio-active zine\nsulphide that could be ingested per day would be very small. However, as\nsmall as this amount must have been we have found a few cases where the system\nhas absorbed some of the radioactive constituents and it has been deposited\nthruout the bony skeleton. The deposit of this material has persisted after\na period of several years, and it is now the theory that the continued action\nof the alpha particles from the radioactive materials so deposited has been the\ncause of many of the conditions reported among these employees.\nIn 1925, two cases that were diagnosed as suffering from the result\nof their employment by us brought suit suit for damages, and were settled.\nIn June, 1928, there was a group of five cases, which had been given wide\npublicity, thru their efforts in endeavoring to obtain redress, by the press,\nthese were also settled. These cases you probably are more or less familier\nwith thru such publicity, and the information which I gave you.\nWe are now confronted with building a defense in four (4) more\ncases that have been instituted against us. In this connection they charge\nus with contributory negligence, in that TTO did not provide proper precautions\nfor these employees during the periods of their employment from 1916 to 1924.\nThey claim that it was common knowledge at that time that even small amounts\nof radioactive materials taken into the system was deleterious, and that to\nwas well known, and that we should have been aware of it.\nOn the contrary\nwe maintain that there was no reason why we should have been suspicious that\neven though very minute amounts had been ingested that there was any possibility\nof hasard arising from the practice. This conclusion was based primarily\nupon the fact that during this time radium chloride was administered internally\nfor certain conditions under medical supervision, and that there had never\nbeen reported in the literature any untoward effects resulting from this\npractice. We further maintain that even though we had been aware that\nsmall amounts of luminous zinc sulphide were being ingested daily we should\nnot have viewed this with any particular alarm, due to the fact that the radium\nor mesothorium, as the case might have been, was percipitated upon the sufface\nof the zinc sulphide in an insoluble form - that is the sulphate, and knowing\nthat radium sulphate is one of the most insoluble inorganic compounds known\nwe should have felt a certain amount of confidence that the material would of\nnecessity pass thru the alimintary tract without any appreciable amount being\nabsorbed.\nIt is in this connection that we are endeavoring to enlist the aid\nof men in the medical profession whose standing is unquestionable, and who\nhave had experience in this type of medication. As you know the number of men\nqualified in this particular line is very limited, and we are, therefore,\nappealing to you to assist us by allowing us to take your deposition to the\neffect that you either administered directly, or that under your supervision\nradium chloride was administered for the relief of certain pathalogical con-\nditions. Also that you were in the main familiar with the literature upon\nthe subject, and that as far as you knew there had never been an untoward\neffect reported, and that in your experience you know of no untoward effects\nwith the use of this type of medication. We propose to thereby establish\nthat up until 1925, we may say that the use of radium chloride internally\n-3-\nin moderation was never considered befraught with any hazards\nI am confident that you will give this matter your careful considera-\ntion, and that you will give us your assistance by allowing us to establish\nthese facts from the experience you have had in this line.\nI trust that when you discuss this matter with your Board of Governors\nof the Mayo Clinic they will appreciate the situation with which we are con-\nfronted and consent to your serving in the capacity we have discussed.\nYou are fully aware of what we are confronted with, in that any or every girl\nwho ever has a pain or an ache of any nature will be inclined to ascribe it\nto the effects of exposure to redium during her employment by us.\nWhile we recognize that there are certain cases existing, still we\nalso have knowledge to the effect that a goodly number of the girls have\nnever been effected.\nSincerely yours,\nVice President.\nHHBarker: RH"
}