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    "localId": "75730132",
    "label": "Letters Sent to Dr. Frank E. Hoecker, January 22, 1946",
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    "title": "Letters Sent to Dr. Frank E. Hoecker, January 22, 1946",
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        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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    "seq": 3,
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    "ocrText": "January 22, 1946\nDr. Frank E. Hoecker,\nThe University of Kansas,\nDepartment of Physics & Astronomy,\nLawrence, Kansas\nDear Dr. Hoecker:-\nWe are quite pleased to learn from your letter of\nJanuary 17th that you intend to do research in connection with the metabolism\nof radium. This is a program which, if you will recall, we have contended for\nsome time required considerable work in order to definitely determine the\nactual effects of radium or precise data on elimination and, if at all possible,\nsome indication at least as to what magnitude of a dose constitutes a tolerance\namount of radium. We realize, of course, that this is a fairly large program\nto undertake but we would be glad to cooperate with you in any way possible\nand we will be particularly pleased to receive from you results on the tests\nconducted.\nWith reference to the two milligram source of radium\nchloride, we will be very glad to prepare such a material for you. As you\nprobably realize, all of our radium is purchased as a bromide and it will be\nnecessary for us to convert a small portion of this to a chloride, but we can\ndoubtless do this within a few days time. Under the circumstances, we will be\nwilling to do this for practically the cost of having a technician do this\nwork and would be very glad, therefore, to supply this radium to you at a price\nof $30.00 per milligram.\nnot\nWhether we would have exactly two milligrams or not,\nwe can determine, but we can assure you that without our going to the trouble\nof waiting for two weeks or a month to make the measurements that the material\nsupplied to you will be reasonably close to two milligrams.\nWith regard to the question of the outcome of our studies\nwith Dr. Flinn and Dr. Hess in connection with the relation between breath radon\nconcentration and rate of exhalation, we have to date been unable to draw any\ndefinite conclusions. We have tabulated all our results and have submitted a\ncopy to Dr. Greenburg for additional study. If you would be interested in a\ncopy of these measurements, we would be glad to prepare a tabulation for you.\nIt is our belief that a much closer control on sampling would have to be\ninstituted in order to establish any definite relationship between the two\nfactors.\nWe have recently been working with Dr. Hess on a method\nfor determining the amount of radium in the body by direct gamma ray measurement\nmaking use of the very delicate measuring equipment used by Dr. Hess. The\ninformation collected to date is rather meager and no very definite conclusions\ncan be drawn. We will be conducting additional experiments probably within the\nnext eight or ten weeks and hope, at that time, to accumulate sufficient\nadditional data to provide information which lends itself to a reasonable\nDr. Frank E. Hoecker,\nJanuary 22, 1946\nUniversity of Kansas,\nLawrence\nSheet - - No. 2\ninterpretation. did find, however, on the basis of a few tests com-\npleted that apparently there is, as expected, a wide variation between\nthe amount of radium fixed and the amount of radon in the expired air\ndepending upon the length of time during which the radium has been\nfixed. These measurements, of course, you understand, also are rather\ndifficult to make and subject to considerable error, due to the fact\nthat, in many instances, the direct gamma ray measurement does not\nnecessarily indicate radium fixed in the body, but radium deposited on\nor in the skin.\nThis is borne out by the fact that, in some instances,\nthe hands of the technicians show a definitely higher concentration than\nany other portion of the body.\nIf you are interested in additional data along this\nline, we would be glad to submit a copy after more tests have been made.\nVery truly yours,\nChief Chemist\nCWWallhausen:rkh"
}