30 August 2001
Chicago, August 30 -- MTBE, a common gasoline additive, (click here) has been found in gasoline sold throughout the Midwest even though it is not routinely used there, researchers reported today at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest (and oldest) scientific society.
Chicago, August 30 -- MTBE, a common gasoline additive, (click here) has been found in gasoline sold throughout the Midwest even though it is not routinely used there, researchers reported today at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest (and oldest) scientific society.
The researchers analyzed regular unleaded gasoline samples from more than 200 sites in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. They found MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) in more than 70 percent of the gasoline samples, even though the additive has seen limited use because ethanol is the main oxygenate for reducing air pollution in these states, says Reynaldo D. Barreto, Ph.D., an associate professor at Purdue University North Central in Westville, Ind., and the study's lead investigator.
"MTBE is not supposed to be there," he says. The unexpectedly widespread presence of the chemical in gasoline samples suggests there is a "ticking time bomb" that could adversely affect drinking water, Barreto cautions....
...The most likely source of the MTBE is tankers, storage tanks and pipelines that once carried reformulated gasoline and subsequently carried nonreformulated gasoline, says Barreto. He believes that a complete ban on the controversial additive is needed to prevent its spread.
MTBE came under intense scrutiny after numerous studies showed it can leak from underground storage tanks and other sources to contaminate the drinking water supply. Although its toxicity to humans is unclear, MTBE can make water undrinkable due to its foul smell and bad taste.
No one knows the exact extent of the contamination, but a growing number of studies have detected the chemical in drinking water samples throughout the country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced plans to reduce or eliminate use of MTBE. It could be replaced with ethanol, another oxygenate, or specially formulated gasoline with fewer smog-causing emissions....
