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