July 14, 1970

Mrs. L. W. Napp
236 Fairfield Road
Avon Lake, Ohio 440612

Dear Mrs. Napp,

Thank you for your letter of June 28, 1970, which was just forwarded
to me by The Washington Post.

A letter like yours helps to bring home to me the heartfelt human
meaning of some of the issues with which I deal rather abstractly in
my column. I am glad to know that your child was saved and that that
nightmare is sufficiently far behind you that you can address the under-
lying problems in more general terms.

In the long run it is precisely the consciousness of people like
yourself that must be aroused in order to establish the policies and
the understanding to pay the costs of vital improvements in consumer
products on the one hand and facilities for health care on the other.

I do not think the problem is one of “persuading manufacturers"
unless we can also get the necessary information to a high degree of
visibility in the market place, so that the consumer can make an
intelligent choice that takes safety and reliatility as well as price
into account. We do need enforcible standards that will put all
competing manufacturers on a fair basis of effective performance. I
would also advocate, to meet more general problems as they arise in
this area, the invégoration of consumer groups along the lines in-
dicated in my most recent column of which I enclose a copy.

The best way to get change on behalf of consumer needs is through
congressional action. There is already a vast amount of interest in
questions like fire safety of fabrics, but this is not alwaye matched
by effective appropriations to back up the legal mandate. I also enclose
some material that may be illuminating to you on this subject. So, in the
last analysis you must inform yourself and you must then instruct your

congressman how they can best respond to your requirements as a constituent.

I am sure that a letter like yours addressed to your own representative and
senators would have at least as mucl: impact as the most learned paper that
could be transmitted to them.

Sincerely yours,

Enclosures Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics
JL/rr