Workmen Made Insane by Mys+ terious Gas Poisoning During Test of New Compound A few months ago the Standard Oil Company, in a specially-built laboratory at Elizabeth, New Jer: began experimenting with a new petrol compound for use in internaljeombustion engines which is said to develop great power together with economy of consumption, The experiments wore ended abruptly Inst week when a number of work= men in the Inboratory became violently insane from thysterious gas-poisoning, Three have since died, two more ave critically ill, and 18 others have been removed to hospitals for treatment, The incident has attracted attention throughout the country because of a statement made by Professor Yandell Henderson, head of the Department of Applied Physiology at Yale University, that the victims of the experiments were undoubtedly suffering from tetra-ethyl lead pol-soning. Professor Henderson de-claved that lead-treated petrol being sold to the public in Jersey, Maryland, the Middle West, and elsewhere. Ho said that there was great danger of widespread poisoning, not only among mon at petrol-filling-stations, garages, and repair shops, but even among the general public, and he urged the public health authorities to tal action everywhere to stop the sal of such petrol. After the publication of Professor Henderson's ment, a number of protests against the sale of lead-treated petrol were received by the public health authorities in New York and New Jersey. So far as is known, however, none of this petrol has been sold in either State.
The Standard Oi Company has made no sales of load-treated petrol, but the knowledge of the process for making it is not confined to this company, and it is reported that other companies not connected with the Standard Oil Company have placed such petrol on the market, According to officials of the Standard Oi) Company, the danger of the experiments' was recognized before they had begun, and every precaution was taken to prevent injury to the workmen, including repeated physical examinations by two physicians con stantly on duty.
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