Indonesia's timely decision to phase out leaded gasoline

Indonesia's timely decision to phase out leaded gasoline

Rob de Jong, Nairobi, Kenya

The United Nations Environment Programme is spearheading a
partnership to promote clean fuels and vehicles; this seventy-
strong partnership is composed of governments, the private
sector, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. We
would like to congratulate the Indonesian government and support
its recent decision to phase-out leaded gasoline nationwide.

We would also like to clarify some of the issues surrounding
lead-phase out.

Lead has traditionally been added to fuel as an "anti-
knocking" agent to enhance smoother engine operation through an
increase of the fuel's octane rating. However, research into
various vehicle models and types have proven that they can all
run perfectly well without lead as an additive in gasoline and
operate without any problems.

Claims of engine wear and other problems (such as Valve Seat
Recession) from the use of unleaded gasoline have been
investigated and have found to be a non-issue; on the contrary,
these modern unleaded fuels are better for your engine as they
don't deposit lead on the various engine parts and so save on
maintenance costs (a less frequent need to change spark plugs is
an example of this).

When using leaded gasoline, a vehicle emits small lead
particles into the air from its exhaust; thus lead can enter the
respiratory system and also settle on grown produce that when
ingested, finds its way into the human system. Data on the toxic
effects of lead on health and the environment is overwhelming and
readily available; these include reduced brain development in
children and irreversible damage to the kidney and liver, often
resulting in the failure of the organ, in adults.

In the nineteen-seventies, the hazardous impacts of lead on
health and the environment emerged and were more fully
understood; developed countries incorporated legislation to ban
its use as a fuel additive, a case in point is the United States
with the incorporation of the 1970 Clean Air Act.

However, as one of the first countries to undertake and
pioneer this change, this process took a long time because of
court cases, legislation and further studies into the issue; the
U.S. experience showed that there were no major constraints in
using unleaded fuel.

In the developing world today, countries have the option of
going unleaded overnight if they so choose as unleaded gasoline
accounts for 90 percent of the total gasoline sold worldwide and
is available for shipping to any destination at a lower price
than leaded fuel.

In some developing countries that refine their own fuel,
experience has shown that simple measures can be taken to ensure
that lead is not necessary as an additive in gasoline refining.
The World Bank, UNEP and OECD estimate that the additional cost
per liter of unleaded fuel in these older refineries is no more
than 1 to 2 U.S. cents; this processing cost is almost
independent of the price of oil.

The air pollution problems in Asian cities are well known and
documented, it is believed that the majority of Asian cities
don't have an acceptable level of outdoor air quality. The WHO
estimates that 4-8 percent of deaths in the Asia and the Pacific
region are attributed to air pollution, this translates to some
487,000 people annually.

India for example spends US$100 billion a year on treatment of
diseases caused by air pollution; the cost of air pollution in
China is estimated at 7 percent of Gross domestic product and is
estimated to grow to 13 percent of GDP by 2020. While there are
many sources that contribute to air pollution in cities, the main
contributor is the motor vehicle. There are technologies used
worldwide to reduce the emissions of vehicles; the catalytic
converter can reduce these emissions that include carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons by some 90
percent.

However, to be able to use the catalytic converter which is
now standard equipment on most motor vehicles, one needs unleaded
fuel as lead breaks down the catalytic converter. So, in effect,
the removal of lead is not only of benefit because of the toxic
qualities of lead, but unleaded gasoline would allow for the use
of catalytic converters in vehicles which would in turn result in
a drastic improvement of overall air quality in cities and towns.

There are many benefits of changing to unleaded fuel. To
illustrate the economic and environmental benefits of going
unleaded, the World Bank studied the case of the United States:
It was found that for every $1 invested in the phase-out effort,
$10 was saved in medical costs and resulted in increased
productivity and environmental health. In this light, there are
no economic justifications for a delay in the phase-out of lead
in gasoline.

At present, 90 percent of the world is unleaded, the remaining
developed and developing countries are making great efforts to
phase-out leaded gasoline. Indonesia is one of the last countries
in Asia to still use leaded gasoline.

In fact, apart from a fast declining number of countries in
Africa & the Middle East, there are no more than a handful of
other nations worldwide that use leaded fuel, and for good
reason.

Countries have found that switching to unleaded fuel has been
problem-free and beneficial. It will just be a matter of time
before leaded fuel will become unavailable on the world market.
All these facts distillate to one overall conclusion: There is an
urgent need to phase-our leaded fuel in Indonesia because of
economic, technical and environmental reasons.

The writer is staff expert at United Nations Environment
Programme/Clearing House of the Partnership for Clean Fuels and
Vehicles. This view is personal.