Ending of the lead terrors
Algeria has recently bid farewell to leaded gasoline. The UN proclaimed victory over harmful fuels. The positive consequences of this achievement will not be noticeable immediately, but they will.
Brief background
In 1921, chemical engineer Thomas Midgley Jr. invented tetraethyl lead. General Motors started adding tetraethyl lead to gasoline to increase the octane number, since after primary refining, gasoline has an octane number that is too low (50-60) and is not suitable as a fuel. The dangers of lead were known even back then, but the inventor of tetraethyl lead insisted on the safety (TEL) of Pb (CH3CH2) 4. Since then and until recently, cars have emitted an extremely toxic substance into the air, soil and water. It is fair to say that not all aspects of the harmful effects of lead were known at the time, so Midgley Jr. clearly underestimated the danger of lead and didn’t dream to destroy humanity.
In the 1970s, studies were carried out that finally established the unconditional harm of tetraethyl lead to health, which was a subject of debates in the 80s, first in individual countries, and then on a worldwide scale. Over the past 20 years, the fight against leaded gasoline has been led by UNEP (the United Nations Environment Program), comprising many governments, more than 70 industrial groups, and many interested organizations.
An Algerian oil refinery has recently reported that it had used up all its lead reserves and no longer used leaded gasoline in the country. Since Algeria was the last country to use tetraethyl lead, the UN declared a complete and unconditional victory over (TPP) Pb (CH3CH2) just a week ago. António Guterres, UN Secretary General, has declared in honor of the end of the tetraethyl lead era: ‘“Ending the use of leaded petrol will prevent more than one million premature deaths each year from heart disease, strokes and cancer. And it will protect children whose intelligence quotients are damaged by exposure to lead.”
Total influence
Leaded gasoline significantly shortens engine life. But, more importantly, it affects people, especially children. Over the course of many years of research, scientists have tried to find out which organ or body system is most affected by lead. It has now been reliably established that lead destroys everything in the body. And there is no safe dose of the substance. And there is no natural barrier against lead in the body. There are thousands of Internet sources that can tell you how exactly lead affects the human body. Less attention is paid to the social impact of lead, which is total and very bad.
The fact is that even in tiny doses, lead suppresses intellectual abilities and causes aggressive behavior in children. Studies have shown that if the lead level is elevated in a child’s blood by two millionths of percent, the IQ may be reduced by one point. And after all, these microdoses were inhaled by almost all children, mainly from exhausts (but not only). Especially in big cities. And the more cars appeared, the more toxic substance got into children’s organisms. All children became a little… alternatively more gifted and a little more nervous and, having matured, threw it all out into the outside world, over the decades, worsening the crime situation, this was especially noticeable in many countries in the 80-90s, when powerful cars became available almost everyone. ‘What is your evidence?’ We have them, that is, they have them.
Inevitability of a bright future
At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the crime rate in the United States suddenly and inexplicably dropped. This was especially noticeable in New York, which, from the most dangerous city on the planet, suddenly became suspiciously calm. For this, Rudy Giuliani, the then mayor, was thanked, not paying attention to the fact that the crime rate dropped everywhere. Scientists, in turn, ignored the delusional fabrications of the media and began to find out the real reasons for the sudden ‘improvement’ in the Americans.
The economist Jessica Reyes was in charge of the now famous professional statistical study that proved that crime rates and specifically the dynamics of violent crime were directly related to lead levels, and not to Rudy Giuliani. The sharp rise in crime in the United States occurred between 1972 and 1992 when the number of cars became huge, the biggest in the world and those cars were truly impressive! But in 1974, the United States adopted the Clean Air Act, which banned the use of leaded gasoline. Approximately 20 years later, the level of lead in the atmosphere decreased, the brains were cleared and people began to think more sensibly and reasonably… And this is a scientifically established fact.
In turn, British scientists (real, not meme ones!) have recently confirmed that lead, which was last introduced into London air from car exhaust 20 years ago, remains in the soil and is still found everywhere, even on the roofs of high-rise buildings. Lead particles are resuspended in the atmosphere especially in summer and warm autumn, but over time their concentration is constantly decreasing. So we still have a bright future ahead of us. We will definitely become smarter and kinder. And our cars will run longer - and from this we will be even more satisfied with life. Down with apocalyptic predictions.
