Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "75724860",
    "label": "Letters Sent to Ernest C. Pohle [Ernst C. Pohle], February 3, 1930",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75724860"
}

{
    "id": "75724860",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75724860",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letters Sent to Ernest C. Pohle [Ernst C. Pohle], February 3, 1930",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75724860",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001962_Page_1.jpg",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001962_Page_1.jpg",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001962_Page_1.jpg",
    "imageCount": 4,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75724860",
    "naId": 75724860,
    "levelOfDescription": "fileUnit",
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "document",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/SLC/Radium/SLC_0001962.pdf",
    "mediaId": "a936afd6e1544c4e",
    "ocrText": "February 3rd,1950.\nDr. Ernest C. Pohle,\nc/o Wisconsin General Hospital,\nMadison, Wis.\nDear Dr. Pohie:\nI am glad to herewith confirm in letter form the matter\ndiscussed with you personally on Wednesday, January 29th.\nFrom 1916 to 1925, the United States Radium Corporation or\nits predecessors maintained an application plant for applying radioactive\nluminous material to watch, clock disls, etc., during which period there\nwere probably employed a total of approximately 400 girls. The radioactive\nluminous material was applied to the numerals of the dials with small camel's\nhair brushes. As you realize, this operation is rather a delicate one and\nrequires considerable skill. The brushes had to be well \"pointed\" and to do\nthis/good many of the operators used their lips, although there were other\nmethods provided. While the practice of \"pointing\" the brushes with their\nlips was forbidden on account of sanitary reasons, still the girls continued\nthe practice with our knowledge.\nEarly in 1924, a dentist in Newark called to our attention the\nfact that he felt there was an industrial hasard existing in our work. The\nimmediately 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\nthat they would look upon the radioactive constituents of our material with\nsuspicion, and advised certain recommendations which we immodiately put into\neffect. We followed this up by discussing the possibilities of the radium\npresenting a hazard, with both medical and scientific men versed in the sub-\nject of radioactivity, and they both felt that the conclusions drawn by the\npublic Realth School of Harvard were rather far fetched. We had other\ninvestigations made, some of which indicated that it was questionable whether\nthere was an industrial hazard existing at our plant. However, as time\nprogressed and more data and information became available regarding the con-\nditions existing among certain of our employees who had been engaged in this\npractice, our attitude changed and we recognised that there probably was a\nhazard connected with this sork. The seat of the trouble could be traced\nback to the practice of \"pointing\" the brushes with the lips, thereby serv-\ning as a means of introducing the material into the system.\nThe radioactive luminous material consisted of phosphorescent\nzinc sulphide, which is primarily zinc sulphide of a. special crystaline nature,\ncontaining one (1) part of cadmium sulphide to 820 parts of zinc sulphide,\none (1) part of copper sulphide to 7150 parts of zine sulphide, and one (1)\npart of manganous sulphide to 23000 parts of zine sulphide. The radium or\n-2-\nmesothorium was added to the basic zinc sulphide mechanically, and the amount\nvaried from one (1) part in 140,000 to one (1) part in 33,000.\nInassuch 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 zinc\nsulphide that could be ingested per day would be very small. However, as\nsmall as this amount must have been we have found & few cases where the\nsystem has absorbed some of the radioactive constituents and it has been depos-\nited throout the bony skeleton. The deposit of this material has persisted\nafter a period of several years, and it is now the theory that the continued\naction of the alpha particles from the radioactive materials so deposited has\nbeen the cause 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 for damages, and were settled. In\nJune, 1928, there was a group of five cases, which had been given wide pub-\nlicity, thru their efforts in endeavoring to obtain redress, by the press,\nthese were also settled. These cases you probably are more or less familiar\nwith thru such publicity, and the information which I gave you.\nWe are now confronted with building a defense in four (4) more cases\nthat have been instituted against us. In this connection they charge us with\ncontributory negligence, in that we did not provide proper precautions for\nthese 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 it\nwas well known, and that we should have been aware of it. On 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 possib-\nility of hazard arising from the practice. This conslusion was based prim-\narily upon the fact that during this time radium chloride was administered\ninternally for certain conditions under medical supervision, and that there\nhad nover been reported in the literature any untoward effects resulting\nfrom this practice. We further maintain that even though we had been aware\nthat small amounts of luminous sinc sulphide were being ingested daily we\nshould not have viewed this with any particular alarm, due to the fact that\nthe radium or mesothorium, as the case might have been, was percipitated upon\nthe surface of the zine sulphide in an insoluble form - that is, the sulphate,\nand knowing that radium sulphate is one of the most insoluble inorganic com-\npounds known we should have felt a certain amount of confidence that the\nmaterial would of necessity pass thru the alimintary tract without any\nappreciable amount being absorbed.\nIt is in this connection that we are soliciting your aid, for as I\npointed out our counsel is anxious to establish before the court that up to\nand including 1925, the medical profession did not consider the internal use\nof radium befraught with any hazards either immediate or latent.\nThe fact that you administered radium chloride internally as late\nas 1925, and even later, and that you did not consider it hazardous in any\nway will be of great value to us in establishing this point.\nIn this connection we should like to have you review the records of\nthe cases you treated at Michigan, for it is quite probable that our attorneys\nwould like to bring out some of these cases specifically.\n-3-\nI saw Dr. Stevens the day after I visited you, and he has very\nkindly consented to cooperate in this work.\nUpon my return to New York on Friday, I discussed this matter with\nour counsel as well as with the counsel for the plaintiffs in these actions,\nand they have all tentatively agreed that Saturday, February 15th, would be\na suitable date to take these depositions in Chicago. While this is a\nsomewhat earlier date than I had anticipated, still it does not seem practic-\nable to arrange a later date, and I trust that it will fit in with your\nprogram.\nOur counsel as well as myself will arrive in Chicago, early on\nSaturday morning, and will hope to have a conference with you, as well as\nwith Drs. Bowding and Stevens about 10 A.M.\nThe time for taking the\ndepositions will in all probability be set for one (1) o'clock at some\nattorney's office in Chicago. The time and place for our meeting in\nChicago I will advise you of later.\nI shall endeavor, within the next few days, to send you a compen-\ndium of the articles assembled pretaining to this subject. This I believe\nI promised to do.\nA few lines from you, at your earliest convenience, advising us\nif the program as outlined will be satisfactory to you, will be appreciated.\nSincerely yours,\nVice President.\nHHBarker:RH"
}