Leaded Gasoline: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Leaded gasoline was one of the last lead containing products to be banned by the government. The EPA fought to enforce regulations on leaded gasoline well into the 1970s, but by then, it had taken a severe toll, poisoning workers at oil refineries and gas station employees.

The Smithsonian Magazine provides a brief history on tetraethyl lead, or leaded gasoline. It was created to eliminate the loud "knocking" noise from the engine. Most importanty, its creators in the 1920s were well aware of the toxicity of leaded gasoline. Yet, it was sold.

The document we are highlighting today is a response from a Dr. Robert A. Kehoe, employed by the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation, to Mr. Glendon A. Schubert, a worker at an Auto Body Service shop, dated August 21, 1933.

Mr. Schubert expresses concerns about developing lead poisoning from leaded gasoline products. Dr Kehoe vehemently denies any possibility of this. In fact, he assures Schubert that the symptoms he complains of are due to some other cause, even attributing them to "the hot, muggy weather." Shockingly, he advises that Schubert "ignore these symptoms of fatigue."

Kehoe insists that there is no possibility of contracting lead poisoning from leaded gasoline. He supports his conclusion by vaguely mentioning that studies have not found the product dangerous.

Clearly, there was active concern regarding the toxicity of leaded gasoline from consumers barely a decade after its invention. However, medical professionals like Kehoe who were employed by gasoline industries did not allow for doubt when establishing the safety of their lead products. There was only one absolute truth they needed to sell to the consumers.