Leaded gasoline was widely used in the 1920s due to its ability to increase octane ratings and improve engine performance. However, concerns about its environmental and health impacts led to its ban in the US and other countries. Lead has been replaced with other additives, and the sale of leaded fuel is now prohibited for vehicles on the highway.
Buying leaded gasoline today is rare since its progressive ban in the United States and other countries. This type of gasoline was originally liquid gasoline, or gasoline as it is known in other parts of the world, which contains an additive of the chemical element in the form of tetraethyl lead. It was widely adapted for use in the 1920s, aiding in the development of higher compression engines and increasing octane ratings.
Gasoline is typically consumed as a power fuel in internal combustion engines, making its environment highly compressed. To increase octane levels, hydrocarbon mixed with benzene or isooctane is added. These are the hydrocarbon-containing fuels that would eventually be released as greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. However, the additives were needed to reduce carbon buildup in internal engines, improve combustion rate, and facilitate easier engine starting in cold weather.
It used to be that prior to the addition of lead, gasoline tended to pre-ignite or detonate, causing a metallic “pinging” sound, a situation called engine knock, which damaged the engine. Gasoline containing tetraethyllead changed that. Not only did it withstand higher compression environments, but it also lubricated the engine interior and valves, protecting the valve seats from erosion.
Doubts about leaded gasoline began with environmentalists and health professionals. Gasoline was apparently incompatible with the catalytic converters fitted to many on-road vehicles being driven. Catalytic converters are devices used to reduce the toxicity levels of automobile emissions. However, they are ineffective in the presence of lead due to a chemical alteration that results from their interaction. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly stepped in to regulate amounts of auto exhaust, leading to widespread disapproval of the use of gasoline of this type.
In addition, health professionals determined that the consumption of lead products, including leaded gasoline, was correlated with the amount of lead found in the human bloodstream. This can cause lead poisoning, a condition that primarily causes neurological damage, gastrointestinal upset, and cognitive impairment in children.
The movement in gasoline components has now replaced lead compounds with other suitable substitutes. Additives now include aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers, and the alcohols ethanol and methanol. Instead of lead’s lubricating properties, auto shops now sell lead substitute products to achieve the same effect.
Since the Clean Air Act was implemented on January 1, 1996, the sale of leaded fuel has been prohibited for vehicles on the highway in the United States, and its possession or use is subject to high fines. Other countries have been following this example. Leaded gasoline for other uses, including racing cars, marine engines, and farm equipment, will be banned starting in 2008.
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