![]() Prior to the lead phase-out in gasoline, the total amount of lead used in gasoline was over 200,000 tons per year. In adults, lead exposure is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The health impacts of lead exposure in children include anemia, behavioral disorders, low IQ, reading and learning disabilities, and nerve damage. Children’s developing bodies are particularly sensitive to low-level, ambient exposures to lead. It was not until the 1960s, following extensive health research, that the devastating health impacts of low-level lead exposure were established. While the panel found insufficient evidence of lead poisoning over a short time period, the panel warned that longer exposure to lead could result in “chronic degenerative diseases of a less obvious character.”ĭespite these warnings, the Surgeon General set a voluntary standard of lead content, which the refining industry successfully met for decades. As a result, the Surgeon General temporarily suspended the production of leaded gasoline and convened a panel to investigate the potential dangers of lead use in gasoline. In 1924, 15 refinery workers in New Jersey and Ohio died of suspected lead poisoning. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began phasing it out in the mid-1970s because of proven serious health impacts.Įarly in its use as a fuel additive, health concerns were raised regarding the use of lead in gasoline. Leaded gasoline was the predominant fuel type in the United States until the U.S. While aromatic hydrocarbons (such as benzene) and alcohols (such as ethanol) were also known octane providers at the time, lead was the preferred choice due to its lower production cost. In 1921, automotive engineers working for General Motors discovered that tetraethyl lead (better known as lead) provided octane to gasoline, preventing engine knock. ![]() In the early 20th century, automotive manufacturers were searching for a chemical that would reduce engine knock. ![]() Doing so would increase vehicle efficiency and lower greenhouse gases through decreased petroleum consumption. Currently, high-octane fuel is marketed as ‘premium,’ but automotive manufacturers have expressed interest in raising the minimum octane pool in the United States to enable smaller, more efficient engines. The use of higher octane fuels also enables higher compression ratios, turbocharging, and downsizing/downspeeding-all of which enable greater engine efficiencies and higher performance. The higher the octane number, the more resistant the gasoline mixture is to knock. This oxygenate is commonly referred to as octane.Īt most retail gasoline stations, three octane grades are offered, 87 (regular), 89 (mid-grade), and 91-93 (premium). This is primarily because fuels contain an oxygenate that prevents knock by adding oxygen to the fuel. Knock is virtually unknown to modern drivers. Knock occurs when fuel is prematurely ignited in the engine’s cylinder, which degrades efficiency and can be damaging to the engine. The octane rating is a measure of a fuel’s ability to avoid knock. 1: octane rating of gasoline, as displayed at a gasoline supply, the BTEX complex (a petroleum refining product commonly referred to as gasoline aromatics), and ethanol.įig. Today, there are two primary sources of octane used in the U.S. As adverse health and environmental consequences have been discovered for lead and petroleum-based octane providers, they have been removed from the fuel supply or decreased. They include lead, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene (BTEX), and ethanol (a biofuel). Octane sources have taken many forms throughout the years, both renewable and petroleum-based. Octane is a gasoline additive that is needed for the proper functioning of modern engines. Several EPA fuel regulations have concerned octane. Thanks to EPA regulations of mobile sources, air pollutants have been reduced by millions of tons in the urban environment. environmental policy has been the reduction of harmful tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. Environment & Energy Congressional Round-UpĪ cornerstone of U.S.House and Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses.Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO.National Security and Energy Independence.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |