Lead Free Petrol — The Problems

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 34, 10 February 1987, Page 4 (Supplement)

Lead Free Petrol — The Problems

From January 1987 leaded Regular 91 petrol was replaced by Unleaded 91 petrol (ULP). ULP progressively became available in service stations from midJanuary onwards. Service station pumps will be relabelled 'Unleaded'. Unleaded 9 1 petrol is suitable for use in a wide range of vehicles, however, use of the wrong fuel could cause damage to engines. It is therefore important that motorists are informed as to which is the correct fuel for them to use.

THE amount of lead in New Zealanders' blood has dropped by over 45 percent in the last eight years as a result of the battle to reduce the amount of lead in the New Zealand environment. Now attention is focussing on New Zealand's last remaining widespread source of lead contamination: petrol. The trouble is, the cost of eliminating lead from petrol will be enormous, the alternatives may be even worse -

and it has not yet been proven that petrol lead emissions are a serious health threat. The Government is now giving careful attention to the costs, penalties, advantages and disadvantages of further reductions in the lead content of 'super' petrol, the fuel used by most New Zealanders. This is in line with longstanding Labour policy and a 1984 election pledge, but it is by no means certain that the Government will make an early commitment to further reduce the amount of lead in 'super'. The implications for motorists would be profound - without lead or an alternative to it, most of New Zealand's cars would be immobilised, something never intended by the Government's pledge to reduce lead in petrol. Most of New Zealand's cars will only run on the high octane petrol that is now created by adding lead to petrol. The lead additives prevent damage-causing 'pinking' in engines not designed for unleaded petrol - most New Zealand cars are in this category. The Government's aim has been to reduce petrol lead emissions to try to safeguard the health of New Zealanders and to protect the environment, while causing minimum inconvenience to motorists. Two majoraspectsof that pledge have already been carried out - last July the lead content of 96 octane 'super' petrol was halved, to 0.45 grams a litre. And this month the first unleaded 91 octane 'regular' petrol went on sale. The new fuel replaces the previous 91 octane 'regular' which had a lead content of .45 grams a litre, the same as 'super' fuel. Around seven percent of the petrol currently used in New Zealand is regular petrol. Consumption would increase if all motorists with suitable cars used unleaded petrol. For example, about 60

percent of new cars are capable of using unleaded regular, although the proportion of older cars that can use it is much less. All told, about 15 percent of the New Zealand car fleet could use unleaded regular. A $500,000 publicity campaign is about to start to tell motorists which vehicles are suitable for the new fuel, which is 3.3 cents a litre cheaper than 'super'. This is the same price differential as the old leaded 'regular' enjoyed over 'super'. The extra production costs involved in unleaded 'regular' are being met by 'super' motorists and the taxpayer. A pamphlet on the new fuel has also been distributed to all service stations. While environmentalists and conservationists have praised the lead reductions, they have also urged the Government to take tougher action, and further reduce the lead content of 'super' petrol, or introduce legislation which would compel all new cars registered in New Zealand to use unleaded fuel only. The Government, however, is reluctant to take any more firm action at this stage than implementing its 1 984 statement, which said it would investigate whether it would be possible to reduce the lead content of 'super' petrol to a maximum of . 1 5 grams a litre by 1990. As the Minister of Energy, Bob Tizard, points out, the alternatives are costly and questionable - and no one knows if there

will be any tangible benefits as a result. "For example, banning the use of lead to boost octane ratings could mean an extra $50 to $100 million every year in extra oil refining just so we can get the 96 octane super petrol that 70 percent of New Zealand's motorists need. "Most of these costs would have to be passed on to consumers. Thus taking lead out of petrol has implications for the cost of living, business input costs, our international competitiveness and national resource allocation. "On the other hand, most New Zealanders would probably support the move if it could be proven that petrol lead emissions were seriously damaging their health, and that eliminating lead from petrol would have a corresponding benefit. However, there is no evidence that petrol lead emissions are causing serious health problems and thus a health issue priority. "It is a fact that New Zealanders' blood lead levels have fallen by over 45 percent in the last eight years and are as low, or lower, than those in comparable countries. None of this can be ascribed to reductions in petrol lead because these are only recent measures, and the effect on the New Zealand population is impossible to quantify at this stage. "Reduced blood lead levels have occurred as a result of a major effort to reduce or eliminate a wide range of lead pollution, ranging from banning lead-based paints, replacement of lead-based solders on food cans with continuous welding, adoption of safer industrial practices for use of lead, and abolition of lead pipes in plumbing. "It remains to be seen whether there will be further significant improvements as Continued on P6

Lead Free Petrol — The Problems

Continued from P4 a result of our reductions in petrol lead and studies are to be conducted to find this out. "There is a need for a national blood lead survey to determine the effects of the recent reductions in petrol lead on New Zealand ers. The present situation, where we have an existing body of research on blood/ lead levels which was carried out before the petrol lead reductions, gives us a unique opportunity to assess the impact of lowered petrol lead levels. "It is my hope that this national blood lead survey could be carried out before the end of this year and that we could start to get the first results by the middle of 1988. "It will be useful to compare the result of this with the 45 percent drop in blood lead levels revealed by a survey of 45,000 blood samples carried out in the top half of the South Island over the last eight years. "The outcome of these studies will be invaluable in helping us to determine the possible impact of further

major reductions in the 'super' petrol used by most New Zealanders. "Make no mistake about it, the cost of reducing or eliminating lead from 96 octane will be enormous. N o one knows yet if the benefits will be worth it - or if the 'benefits' will be outweighed by the disadvantages. "Forexample, other additives can be used to boost the octane rating of petrol. But the health hazard of these substances could be far worse than the lead. Compared with the size of New Zealand, our traffic densities are low, as is our population, and there is no evidence to show that petrol lead is a serious health hazard in this country. "The view of the Ministry of the Environment is that we shouldn't take the risk, and should just ban petrol lead anyway, but the Government has to take the wider issues into account. "We also have to consider the fact that our population has blood levels which provide a substantial safety margin compared with internationally accepted limits. "Our blood levels are generally half those of the Uni-

ted States Environmental Protection Agency and Canadianintervention levels. A recently conducted Auckland medically-based research programme using blood samples from 3,000 children found that all were within the U.S. EPA intervention level and only one was above the Canadian level. "The measures we have taken so far to reduce petrol lead are unique in the world, nowhere else have petrol lead reductions been ordered because of concern about the impact of lead on people's health and the environment alone. "The prime thrust behind overseas lead reductions has been the need to reduce smog, and 'acid rain' - catalytic converters fitted to vehicles to cut down on smog are rendered useless by lead additives to petrol, and hence the effort to introduce unleaded petrol in these countries. "Catalytic converters are not used in New Zealand, because we do not have the same smog and acid rain problems."