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    "localId": "75730744",
    "label": "Memorandum to Mr. Roeder [A. Roeder], no date",
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    "id": "75730744",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum to Mr. Roeder [A. Roeder], no date",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75730744",
    "collections": [
        "Safety Light Collection",
        "Records Related to Radium Dial Painters"
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{
    "seq": 2,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
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    "ocrText": "139\n-2-\ntween the lips, only a minute quantity of the mixture can romain upon the lips, thus\nreaching the tongue, a.s larger amounts would be noticeable by the peculiar taste of\nthe mixture (adhesive).\nAssuming that an operator repeats the operation of \"pointing\" several hun-\ndred times daily, the total amount of the material to reach the oral cavity could amount\nto from a few milligrams to nbout 100 milligrams. There is not however the probability\nthat amounts larger than 1 or 2 milligrams remain constantly in the mouth due to the\ntaste and the probable spitting or swallowing of same, etc.\nIt is interesting to speculate also on the probable distribution of the material\nwhen once it passes the lips. of course, one would think that the material would be\nequally distribited throughout the mouth until it is either swallowed or disposed of\notherwise. Further thought would seem to indicate that equilibrium amounts of material\npresent continuously in the mouth throughout the whole day, bearing fluctuations such\na.s the diminishing of average amounts during eating and drinking of water, could not\namount to more than a few milligrams of zine sulphide at a time.\nAmount of Radioactivity\nPaving assumed that a few milligrams of UNDARK of the quality containing 1\nmilligram of radiosative element to 40 grams of zinc may remain constently in the\nmouth during working hours, it appears that this amount would also be accompanied by\nfrom 25 to 50 millimicrograms, or 000025 to 000050 milligram of radioactivity. It\ncould be further supposed that larger amounts of material than that mentioned are pro-\nbably swallowed. The quostion arises as to that effect, if any, this amount of radio-\nactivity could produce locally. Such small doses of radioactivity in contact with the\ntissues,day in and day out, alone, do not seem to have any effect as a such whatsoever.\n(Radioactive compresses can be here used O.S an example.) This can be seen from the\nperiences of the radium laboratories where chemists crystallize radium solutions every\nday. Furthermore, in the luminous material laboratories where large amounts of material\nare\nprepared, weighed, bottled, etc.; where chemists and physicists are exposed continu-\nously to much stronger coneentrations of radioactivity, in contact with their skin, lips\ntongue, etc., through the medium of cigarretes, dust, etc. Assuming, however, that the\nabove montioned amounts of radioactivity present in the mouth are of sufficient intensity\nto start local trouble, their effect on the blood system would be noticeable before any\nlocal trouble could start. This is due to the fact that of 811 the organs, the blood\nmaking apparatus of the human body is the most sansitive to radiosctivity. Taking this\nas an index and comparing it with the amounts which could be present in the oral cavity\nof the operator throughout the day, we reach surprising facts, as follows:\nThe smallestsingle amount of radioactivity essential to produce visible micro-\nscopie or morphologic blood changes, such as increase of erythrocytes and leukocytes or\ndecrease of leukocytes with decrease of erythrocytes following, would be in the order\nof about 20 micrograms injected intravenously in single doses or distributed in at\nleast 2 microgram doses per day for longer poriods of time, when injected intrayenous-\nIy; 20 microgrems ingested in soluble form does not show any influence on the blood\nin\na single dose. The amounts mentioned are about two thousand times larger than those\nassumed\nin the case of operators. The radioactivity the operators worl with, as men-\ntioned before, is in insoluble form, therefore it could not, to any large extent, pene-\ntrate the tissue and accumulate therein, and act, ofter a certain period of time, in\n8. cunulative way. On the other hand, if we dismiss the possibility of its penetration"
}