Leaded and unleaded gas

Leaded and unleaded gas

In reference to the article Leaded gas endangers Jakartans'
health: Expert (Oct. 17, page three), the information given by
Hugo Sager, an expert of Swisscontact, is useful but
unfortunately incomplete and might create an unbalanced opinion
about the consequences of using leaded or unleaded gasoline. He
pointed out the danger of using leaded gasoline, but kept silent
about the dangers brought about by the use of unleaded gasoline.

Lead is used as an octane booster, due to its high
sensitivity. Besides that, lead is cheap and there is no need to
use other aromats, thus making fuel production cheaper. By using
Tetra Ethyl Lead, production of high octane gasoline can be
achieved at a low cost.

Pertamina now sells premium gasoline with an octane rating of
88 with a maximum lead content of 0.45 gram/liter. Premix, with a
higher octane rating of 94 but the same lead content, is also
available.

The negative effects of using leaded gasoline are that it
creates environmental and health problems for mankind. Polluted
air can increase the lead content in the bloodstream which can
create all kinds of diseases should levels cross a certain
threshold. However, leaded gasoline is only a minor contributor
to the lead content in our bodies as there are many sources of
lead in our environment. The best estimate is that pollution from
leaded gasoline accounts for 15 percent to 25 percent of the lead
in our bodies, while the majority of lead entering our bodies is
coming from a variety of sources like food, water, paint,
ceramics and cosmetics.

The use of unleaded gasoline is aimed at improving air quality
by eliminating or at least minimizing its lead content. On top of
this, the use of unleaded gasoline can prolong the life of cars,
as the machine works better and the interval of changing
lubricating oil becomes longer. With all these advantages,
maintenance of cars becomes cheaper.

But it must not be forgotten that all these advantages from
unleaded gasoline can only be realized if the car is equipped
with a catalytic converter. Do we have enough catalytic
converters in Indonesia?

From the production point of view, discarding lead and
changing it with aromats increases production cost. The most
common aromatics used are toluene, xylenes and ethyl benzene. It
is accepted that benzene is a genotoxic carcinogen and exposure
to benzene always runs the risk of leukemia and cancer.

A report from the House of Commons in London said that
unleaded fuel is far more dangerous than the public realizes and
the dangers of unleaded fuel far outweigh the benefits of reduced
lead levels. Mr. Paul Chanon, former secretary of state for
transportation, said that cars using unleaded gasoline should be
fitted with catalytic converters, because without a catalytic
converter unleaded fuel can be very dangerous.

With this small contribution, I would like to appeal to Mr.
Hugo Sager, Mr. David Kuper and Ms. Isna Maria to enlighten the
public with unbiased scientific information, so that we all can
help in the realization of the Jakarta Segar (Fresh Jakarta)
project for the benefit of all of us -- not only in Jakarta, but
for all of Indonesia.

SOEGIH ARTO

Jakarta