MEMO FROM TO:

TX
J. LEDERBERG Congressman Reuss Rd
GENETICS DEPARTMENT RO,

STANFORD UNIVERSITY
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA

?Hazards of NTA JUN 30 1970

Dear Mr. Reuss--

(Quite possibly your staff has already
brought these artickes to your attention.) If
it is possible to sustain the same cogent »
effort in the difficult and costly task of
adequate treatment of effluents over the next
19 to 29 years, it is even possible that the
Great Lakes inmay be restored to the wonderful
assets they once were. Having lived in Wis-
consin for 12 years, as you know, I can well
understand the urgency of your concerns, and

of course share them.

I am writing now to stress that there are
many unanswered questions about the large-
scale use of NTA, which are glossed over rathe)
than answered by the work that has been pub-
lished so far. ‘To answer them properly will
take more research money and more time than
seems to be available now.

Do you know Dr. Marvin Legator at the FDA?
le is a good friend of mine, a knowledgeable
scientists, and has particularly involved him-
self in the evaluation of NTA. (le may already
be well known to you as a leading figure in thr.
critical re-evaluation of cyclamates.) I be-
lieve you would find it a very valuable use of
your time to consult with him ahout the subtle.
ties of the NTA problem.(May I say for the re-
cord that this suggestion is my own initiative

NTA may be proven safe, eventually, but it
will take a while to do the essential testing.
Meanwhile, I believe there are many sounder
alternatives for detergent-building, e.g.
citrates, about which no toxicological issue

could possibly be raised. pineee ay