Clamped in a Straitjacket: The Insertion of Lead into Gasoline

In 1925, shortly after production of tetraethyl lead began, an outbreak of psychosis occurred in all three operating plants, and a number of workers died in acute mania. A temporary moratorium on the production of tetraethyl lead was imposed, and the Public Health Service convened a meeting of scientists, public health officials, and industrial representatives to investigate the safety of the product. This paper reviews the steps leading to the insertion of lead into gasoline, the response of industry to the tragic poisoning, the actions of the public health authorities to investigate the episode, and the forces that resulted in the restoration of the additive to gasoline.