Proceedings of a conference to determine whether or not there is a public health question in the manufacture, distribution, or use of tetraethyl lead gasoline / Prepared by direction of the surgeon general.

  • United States. Public Health Service.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Proceedings of a conference to determine whether or not there is a public health question in the manufacture, distribution, or use of tetraethyl lead gasoline / Prepared by direction of the surgeon general. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    116/128 (page 106)
    I might refer to the comment made at the end of the war—that the Allies floated to victory on a sea of oil—which is probably true. Our continued development of motor fuels is essential in our civiliza- tion. And our dependence upon a continuing supply of petroleum has been a subject which interests everyone who has the interest of his country at heart. The President has gone so far in the past few months as to appoint a special committee, presided over by Doctor Work, to see if they could not exhaust all the possibilities of con- serving petroleum in every direction. Now, as « result of some 10 years’ research on the part of the Gen- eral Motors Corporation and 5 years’ research by the Standard Oil Co., or a little bit more, we have this apparent gift of God—of 3 cubic centimeters of tetraethyl lead—-which can be produced at a low figure, an inconsequential figure ultimately, and which will permit that gallon of gasoline, which we have recovered from the earth all-over the world, because we import much of our supply and hope that we will import more in the future so that we will use less of our own supply, to go perhaps 50 per cent further, and, if our opti- mistic engineering friends are correct will make it go 100 per cent further in the long run. Now, there is that situation. We are presented with that gift of God which enables us to do that. But there are problems con- nected with it; the engineering problem must be worked out, and the production of cars must be worked out. And we are presented with this question at the start concerning the use of tetraethyl lead, the question of the health hazard. What is our duty under the circumstances? Should we throw this thing aside? Should we say, “No; we will not use it,” in spite of the efforts of the Government and the General Motors Corporation and the Standard Oil Co. toward developing this very thing, which is a certain means of saving petroleum? Because some animals die and some do not die in some experiments, shall we give this thing up entirely? Frankly, it is a problem that we do not know how to meet. We can not justify ourselves in our consciences if we abandon the thing. T think it would be an unheard-of blunder if we should abandon a thing of this kind merely because of our fears. We could not justify an attitude of that kind; I do not think anybody could. Possibilities can not be allowed to influence us to such an extent as that in this matter. It must be not fears but facts that we must _ be guided by. I do not think we are justified in trying to reach a final conclusion in this matter on fears at all; nor are we justified in saying that we will cease this development because of fears we entertain. This develoment must be stopped, if it is stopped at all, by proofs of the facts.