Lead is Dead in Fuel

This summer leaded gas in cars and trucks came to an end worldwide. A known toxin, lead causes cancer and heart disease. It poisons children disproportionately and has been linked to lower IQs. The developed world began phasing out leaded gas fifty years ago, but the process worldwide ended in July when Algeria used the last of the toxic additives it had stockpiled. This is great news for international efforts to reduce toxic pollution and demonstrates that a global approach is possible, but we don’t have the luxury of decades to move away from fossil fuels more generally.