Why is lead being removed from petrol?
Lead has been widely used as a petrol additive since the 1920’s. However, leaded petrol cannot be used by cars equipped with catalytic converters designed to reduce harmful exhaust emissions, as lead very rapidly and permanently renders the catalyst completely ineffective. This, together with the realization that lead emitted from vehicle exhausts has the potential to adversely affect human health, resulted in it being phased out, first in North America and then across Europe and, increasingly, the rest of the world.
