Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 1:57 PM Apr 8 From Laurie Patterson to you Few: Clair Patterson- National History Day

Competition

Dear Brenna Here are my answers to your questions.

1. In your opinion, what motivated Dr. Patterson to persevere over the years in his campaign against tetraethyl lead? -Dedication to science, horror that lead levels allowable were set by Kehoe, who was on the payroll of the lead industry. And after looking into it and doing some work, discovering that all lead measurements in the literature were wrong because they were measuring large contamination in the environment and measurement of blood levels of lead in humans was close to those people who actually had lead poisoning(such that a child who gnawed something with leaded point would have lead poisoning. From IQ tests done on children with lead poisoning it became clear that children were being affected in brain function. He felt this was a gigantic environmental hazard that had to be addressed.

2. What was is about his personality that made him so dedicated to the removal of lead from gasoline? -The more the lead, gasoline, automobile manufacturing industries attacked him the more he fought back . President Du Bridge kept the board of directors of CIT from having him removed from CIT. A La Canada friend, president or Vice Pres. of Arco tried to help Pat by taking him to lunch with the president of Union Oil--who was the CIT board member who wanted to fire him. There was no noticeable effect! The mayor of Pasadena, a good friend, to be more amenable and willing to compromise!

3. How did oil companies, other scientists, researchers, etc attempt to stop and discredit Dr. Patterson's campaign? -Particularly the lead industries attacked him at meetings where he was giving papers. One day he arrived at his office to find several men from the lead industries waiting in his office to try to get him to stop his research into lead. His answer to that was to give them a lecture about what he had learned. I expect he was purposely long winded, Needless to say they had taken the trip in vain. The woman who was in the presidents cabinet, Gail Norton, was particularly obnoxious to him in scientific meetings

4. What do you think bothered Dr. Patterson the most about the criticisms being waged against him? -The fact that these were people and corporations with lots of influence affected his grants form AEC, HEW (health agency?) NSF NOAH He overcame this because fellow scientists

included his work along with theirs in environmental studies. To be shut out because of lack of Grants was such a worry that his health began to be compromised.

5. What do you think was in Dr. Patterson's opinion his greatest achievement? -Among all his honors I think the Tyler award came at a time after his required retirement ( a rule that lasted a short time at CIT) when he had been emeritus for some time and when he was suffering the effects of a volcano incident, that was was especially appropriate and appreciated. He had never sought recognition. I am sure that the fact that body levels in the U.S had been lowered to pre lead tetra ethyl use pleased him most.

6. Did Dr. Patterson ever discuss with you his feelings on the conflict of interest that occurs when researchers are funded by the sellers of the product they are researching? -He did all he could to end that practice. In the era of corporations controlling congress had and have had and have little control.

7. I understand that after Dr. Patterson spoke out in the Muskie Senate hearings, some members of the Board of Trustees at CalTech wanted him fired. What is your perspective about what happened at CalTech at that time? -See above

8. What impact did Dr. Patterson's campaign have on the United States and other scientists? -It changed all the measurements of lead in the literature, the FDA, health measurements, removal of lead in may city playgrounds Paint on toys, cribs, walls. Etc.

9. Do you think Clair Patterson is a role model for scientist after him? In what ways did he influence scientists after him? - A young French scientist had correspondence with him, contesting his lead numbers. Finally Claude Boutron came to Cal Tech to learn to measure lead content without contamination. He was expert with ice cores. There is a film of the two of them working together at CIT. Claude became a great friend, along with his family who had come to CIT too. This began a series of lessons for many other lead scientists in Pat's lab. Dorothy Settle, who was Pat's colleague, did a great deal of the training.

10. Do you think Clair Patterson is a role model for scientists after him? In what ways did he influence scientists after him? -The fact that I have had interviews, phone calls, emails such as yours has kept him very alive for me. There are still many things in print about lead, his appearance in books and news items. He is definitely not forgotten and is praised for honest and reliable science against unusual odds.

Brenna, I hope you find something new here.