Leaded Petrol Eradicated

Vehicles have been running on leaded fuel since 1922, when the compound tetraethyllead was added to gasoline to boost engine performance.
By the 1970s, almost all petrol produced worldwide contained lead. The health impacts have been catastrophic, but the environment has suffered too, with air and soil contamination just two examples.
Most high-income nations had prohibited leaded petrol use by the 1980s, but almost all low and middle-income countries were still using it as late as 2002.
That same year, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) began the Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) which brought together all stakeholders, and its activities included raising awareness and overcoming resistance from local oil dealers and producers of lead, as well as investing in refinery upgrades and providing technical assistance.

India was among those countries that took early action to phase out leaded petrol which started in 1994 and was completed by 2000.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lead is toxic, affects multiple body systems and is particularly harmful to young children.
It affects the brain, liver, kidneys and bones.
Leaded petrol causes heart disease, stroke and cancer.
More recent research has indicated that lead can damage the infant brain even at blood levels as low as 5 microunit per decilitre (μ/dl).

After a 20-year campaign, the use of leaded petrol or gasoline has ended worldwide.
According to UNEP, Algeria is the last country to use the fuel and exhausted its supplies last month, thereby completely eradicating the use of Leaded Petrol.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the eradication of leaded petrol an “international success story”.
It will prevent more than 1.2 million premature deaths and save world economies over $2.4 trillion annually.
It took almost 100 years to stop the use of leaded fuel.

UNEP is the leading global voice on the environment.
It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

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