I would like to know what if any positive health and environmental effects were observed after lead was removed from gasoline. I read that in developing nations the additive, one of the world’s most serious pollutants is blamed for increased blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, delayed mental and physical development, reduced attention span, which strangely enough are more widespread in countries where lead was removed years ago. Something seems off.
Dear Christopher,
that's a very interesting question. It was certainly a wise and important decision in the 1970's / 1980's to ban leaded gasoline. We must not forget that lead is a potent neurotoxin. Although I did not read any relevant studies, I'm absolutely certain that the ban had overall very positive health and environmental effects. Please keep in mind that things like increased blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases etc. as listed in your question are not only related to lead poisoning, but can have a number of different causes such as smoking, bad eating habits, lack of physical exercise and so on.
In this context you might be interested in reading an article which I wrote a few years ago. It covers the life and legacy of the American inventor of leaded gasoline, Thomas Midgley Jr. Although everyone knows about leaded fuel and lead poisoning, the name of this tragic person is largely unnown:
Article The life and legacy of Thomas Midgley Jr.
Presentation The life and legacy of Thomas Midgley Jr.
Both the article and presentation are freely available as publc full texts on RG.
Good luck with your work and best wishes, Frank Edelmann
Hi Dr Christopher Gerard Yukna . I think because lead compounds are dangerous for human health . They thought by removing lead from gasoline they will solve part of the problem.
Frank T. Edelmann
Hey, the guy was great Thomas Midgley Jr. was quite a force developing freon for refrigerators. Of course, this gas was implicated in the loss of ozone. Since a Nobel prize was awarded for the discovery that these gases are responsible for the ozone hole no one seems to care that the Ozone holes seem more like a natural phenomenon than that of industrial pollution. I guess I inadvertently defend Mr. Midgley with Presentation plasma water theory
But Frank, the statement that lead causes all of those diseases come from the United Nations themselves:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/10/393292-phase-out-leaded-petrol-brings-huge-health-and-cost-benefits-un-backed-study
so you said "are not only related to lead poisoning" true but wouldn't you think that after 1980 in the United States with the banning of leaded fuel cardiovascular diseases would have at least diminished a bit? Instead, all metabolic syndrome diseases increased. Bees that should have suffered from neurotoxic effects of lead poisoning earlier shouldn't have experience colony collapse with this metal's banishment after. Acid rain, amphibian deaths from fungus infections, HIV, obesity & diabetes epidemics made their appearance after too. Even the link between diabetes and air pollution was demonstrated after gasoline was deleaded even though air pollution was much more severe in cities like Los Angeles before the 1980s. Surely someone would have noticed? It is curious that I can find no evidence that in the real world deleading gasoline had any benefit in nature nor with human healthcare. I was hoping you would know. In fact, it looks like Lead was masking other air pollution effects, a little like arsenic can be the antidote to cyanide poisoning and vice versa. It seems a very curious coincidence.
Christopher G Yukna
Here is what is weird time-wise. In the United States, leaded gasoline was totally banned 1980 watch obesity skyrocket in the States starting in 1985 https://gfycat.com/fr/demandingsecondhanddrake
again the European's begin phasing out lead and in 2000 Europe bans leaded gasoline and look at how France changes 9 years later on the image above. Could lead have blocked say iron's toxicity since Lead does block the absorption of iron? With the reduction of cigarette smoking lung cancer was reduced:
"The rate of new lung cancer cases (incidence) over the past 42 years has dropped 36 percent for men while it has risen 84 percent for women. In 1975, rates were low for women, but rising for both men and women. In 1984, the rate of new cases for men peaked (102.1 per 100,000) and then began declining."
so you can see at least for men the benefit of no-smoking campaigns. and for a while for both men and women, the incidence declined after the no-smoking became effective. So what and where can we see the health benefits for deleading gasoline?
CGY
Due to this policy today the world has less cancer patients, than had this policy being not implemented.
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