To counter these accusations, Thomas Midgley Jr. participated in a press conference to demonstrate the apparent safety of TEL on October 30, 1924, in which he poured TEL over his hands, placed a bottle of the chemical under his nose, and inhaled its vapor for 60 seconds, declaring that he could do this every day without succumbing to any problems. In fact, he knew the dangers of lead poisoning, having been made seriously ill from over exposure a few months earlier.