Leaded Petrol is officially eradicated- UNEP

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In news– Recently, UNEP announced that the use of leaded petrol has been eradicated from the globe.

Key updates-

• • The eradication of leaded petrol is a milestone that will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths and save world economies over $2.4 trillion annually.
  • Algeria was the last country to use the fuel, exhausted its supplies in July 2021.
  • This development follows an almost two decades long campaign by the UNEP-led global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV).
  • The eradication of leaded petrol marks major progress ahead of this year’s International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on the 7th of September.
• India banned leaded petrol in March 2000.

What is leaded petrol?

• Tetraethyl lead, abbreviated TEL, is an organolead compound.
• It is a petro-fuel additive, first being mixed with gasoline beginning in the 1920s as a patented octane rating booster that allowed engine compression to be raised substantially.
• This in turn caused increased vehicle performance and fuel economy.
• TEL had been identified chemically in the mid-19th century, but its antiknock effectiveness was discovered in 1921 by the General Motors research laboratory.
• From the 1970s many countries began phasing out and eventually banning TEL in automotive fuel.
• However, TEL is still used as an additive in some grades of aviation gasoline.

• It causes heart disease, stroke and cancer and also affects the development of the human brain, especially harming children.
• Lead also poisons catalytic converters and is a major cause of spark plug fouling.
• Early symptoms of acute exposure to tetraethyllead can manifest as irritation of the eyes and skin, sneezing, fever, vomiting, and a metallic taste in the mouth.
• Chronic exposure to TEL can cause long-term negative effects such as memory loss, delayed reflexes, neurological problems, insomnia, tremors, psychosis, loss of attention, and an overall decrease in IQ and cognitive function.

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