Worldwide production of leaded gasoline is over because the last refinery has exhausted the fuel supply that has been polluting the air for nearly a century.
Worldwide production of leaded gasoline is over because the last refinery has exhausted the fuel supply that has been polluting the air for nearly a century.
The United Nations Environment Program said in a statement that in the past two decades, the United States and the United Nations have made intense diplomatic efforts to end toxic fuels. The global ban will prevent approximately 1 million premature deaths from heart disease, stroke and cancer each year, and protect children who are particularly vulnerable.
According to the Environment Agency, leaded gasoline is mainly used in Africa and other low-income countries. As of 2002, more than 100 countries are still using this fuel. The agency stated that the end of its global use-the last insistence is the Algiers refinery managed by Algerian state oil company Sonatrach-will have a positive impact on humans and all living things. This is also an important step forward for green transportation.
“Leaded fuel is a mistake that humans have made at all levels,” UNEP executive director Inger Anderson told reporters on Monday. “It is this error that led us into a climate crisis, a biodiversity crisis, and a pollution crisis.”
According to the World Health Organization, toxic fuels cause more lead exposure than any other product in the world. Leaded gasoline pollutes the air, dust, soil, drinking water and food crops. It leads to dangerous levels of lead in human blood, which leads to a decline in children’s IQ and academic performance.
“We know that lead exposure is a serious problem, and it affects vulnerable groups, especially children,” said Janet McCabe, deputy director of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We cannot allow these effects to persist, whether in the United States or elsewhere.”
In the early 1920s, tetraethyl lead was first added to gasoline to improve the performance of car engines; despite warnings from public health authorities, its use continued for decades. Although the ingredient was banned in the United States and many European countries at the end of the 20th century, its use in developing countries continued for decades.
