Photo: Austrian National Library / Unsplash
The UN has declared the end of the era of leaded gasoline after Algeria, the only country that still used this substance, decided to ban its supply last July. This achievement is due to an intense campaign carried out by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and which lasted almost 20 years, despite the fact that the rest of the countries had already banned the use of leaded fuels as an additive.
“The successful implementation of the ban on leaded gasoline is a major milestone for global health and our environment,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director . “Surpassing a century of deaths and illnesses that affected hundreds of millions and degraded the environment around the world, we are empowered to change humanity’s trajectory for the better through an accelerated transition to clean vehicles and electric mobility.”
According to the UN report, the dominance of leaded gasoline over the world was established from 1922 , when tetraethyl lead was used as an additive to stabilize the detonation of the mixture within the combustion chamber of the engine . In the United States, the ban on this fuel would end up between the years 80 and the 90, motivated by the deep pollution it had caused in the air, in the soil, in the water and in human beings themselves, who already suffered from heart disease, Cardiovascular accidents and cancer due to intoxication with this heavy metal that also impaired the development of the human brain, lowering the IQ from 5 to 10 points.
Despite the prohibitions that were later established in much of the world, in less developed countries this type of compound continued to be used, at least until 2002, not counting Algeria, which just a month ago stopped supplying it at its service stations. According to the UN, this fact represents a milestone that will be reinforced by the incredible transformation that is taking place in the automotive industry thanks to the electrification of most manufacturers, who are also researching new forms of clean energy. However, much remains to be done to completely eliminate internal combustion engines, which will continue to operate and pollute the air for a few more decades.
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