Gary,
This recent press release from a California Senator really clobbers MTBE. I suppose you have already seen it?? ... If not here it is.
Regards,
PRESS RELEASE
From
SENATOR DICK MOUNTJOY
29th District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5th, 1998 Contact: Nancy Leneis
(916) 445-2848
ARE WE BEING POISONED?
A chemical called MTBE is being added to all California gasoline. MTBE threatens the health of our families, the purity of our water, and even our air quality. MTBE acts like an incurable cancer, spreading its poison everywhere. There is danger wherever cars drive, motor boats travel, gasoline powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers or tools are used, and wherever gasoline is stored or transported.
I became interested in MTBE about a year ago. I was showing my young grandson how to clean greasy car parts. I put on rubber gloves, picked up a greasy car part and began to wash it in gas as I had done for more than half a century. The gloves disintegrated on my hands. I washed my hands thoroughly. That evening I attended my high school reunion and my face was covered with red blotches. When I investigated the new gas, I found rashes were not uncommon. The more I learned about MTBE, the more I was convinced MTBE was a threat to our health and our state.
The level of MTBE in California gas rose dramatically about a year and a half ago. At that time, not only did gasoline mileage drop, but we began to be exposed to a chemical whose dangers to our health, our water, and our air are frightening. MTBE is produced from isobutylene, a waste product of the gasoline refining process.
Governor Wilson has signed SB 521, my bill to have the University of California thoroughly study MTBE, with the Governor making a decision as to whether MTBE should be banned. Alaska's Governor quickly banned MTBE after a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control associated MTBE with health problems plaguing Alaskans when MTBE was introduced there. I believe California should also discontinue the use of MTBE.
Slick ads keep telling us our gas is "cleaner burning". That is like saying the IRS is your "friend". It just isn't true. The phrase "cleaner burning" is a clever, slick use of words and a misrepresentation of the truth. The bureaucrats think that if they say "cleaner burning fuel" enough times, we'll believe it. More than 107,000 Californians do not believe it and have contacted me because they support SB 521 and do not want MTBE in our state.
Let's look at the facts.
AIR
.MTBE increases NOx by 4% to 15%. NOx causes smog. .Air has gotten cleaner across America because of improved technology on new cars, not from MTBE. .Formaldehyde emissions soar when MTBE is added to gas. Formaldehyde causes cancer. .Experts admit they haven't identified the toxins spewed in the air when MTBE laced gasoline combusts. Without knowing what toxins are in the air, we can't call the gas "cleaner". .MTBE evaporates when exposed to air and falls back to the earth in precipitation. More MTBE is in the air when temperatures are cooler. .MTBE is released into the air at gas stations and from vehicle exhaust. MTBE evaporates quickly. You are exposed to MTBE every time you fill your tank or drive your car. .MTBE has no significant effect on peak ozone.
HEALTH
.MTBE causes cancer in animals.
.leukemia .lymphoma .liver cancer .kidney cancer .testicular cancer
.North Carolina classifies MTBE as a probable human carcinogen. .Studies have linked human exposure to MTBE to
.nausea or vomiting .dizziness, spaciness, or disorientation .muscle aches .sore throats and coughs .eye irritation .autoimmune disease .rashes .neurotoxic effects .fatigue .liver damage
.MTBE destroys white blood cells and may contribute to the dramatic rise in asthma and respiratory problems. .MTBE poses a danger to fetal development. .Respiratory ailments, including asthma which has increased dramatically in areas with MTBE may be linked to MTBE or its combustion by products. .Safe levels for drinking water with MTBE or breathing in MTBE at gas stations has not been established. There are no long term studies on human exposure to MTBE. .In 1994, the American Medical Association asked for a moratorium on the use of MTBE until scientific studies of MTBE proved it was safe for human health. .MTBE has been measured in the blood of commuters and occupationally exposed workers like taxi drivers or service station attendants.
WATER
.MTBE is highly soluble in water. .MTBE does not biodegrade or chemically breakdown. Once spilled, MTBE is there to stay and its levels will just increase over time. .MTBE moves faster and farther than other gasoline components, moving at the speed of the water in which it is dissolved and increases the concentration of other spilled gasoline components. .MTBE is practically impossible to remove from water. .MTBE gets into ground water in many ways, including precipitation; stormwater runoff; surface spills such as service stations, auto accidents, or while filling gas powered equipment; underground storage tank and pipe leaks; and industrial sources; and watercraft. Will boats and jet skis be banned? .The level of MTBE which is safe to drink is unknown. .Some scientists say MTBE destroys fiberglass tanks and their inner linings. Gasoline is stored in underground fiberglass storage tanks creating a potential for widespread contamination. .California uses 1.5 billion gallons of MTBE a year. 85% of the MTBE arrives in California by ship. We do not know its affect on coastal marine life if it spills, nor do we know how to get it out of the ocean. We also do not know how much MTBE is discharged at sea. .It takes only 1/2 gallon of the 1.5 billion gallons of MTBE used in California gas each year to pollute 13 million gallons of water, the amount of water Santa Monica uses daily. .Technology to detect leaks in pipelines is such that 10 gallons, or 85,000 gallons yearly, of gasoline can leak an hour without detection. Eleven percent of your gas is MTBE. .MTBE is beginning to be found in California drinking water, including wells in the City of Los Angeles, Callegueas Municipal Water District, Elmira, Glennville, Manteca, Presidio in San Francisco, Riverside, Santa Monica, Sebastopol and South Lake Tahoe. Even if residents drink bottled water, they take baths and showers in MTBE, and this chemical is absorbed through the skin and may accumulate in fatty body tissues. .MTBE has been detected in the following lakes and reservoirs:
.Anderson Reservoir .Calero Reservoir .Camanche Reservoir .Canyon Lake .Castaic Lake .Cherry Reservoir .Clear Lake .Combie Reservoir .Coyote Reservoir .Donner Lake .Don Pedro Reservoir .El Capitan Reservoir .Lake Havasu .Lake Merced .Lake Tahoe .Modesto Reservoir .Perris Lake .Pardee Reservoir .Pyramid Lake .Rollins Lake .San Pablo Reservoir .San Vicente Reservoir .Scotts Flat Lake .Shasta Lake .Whiskeytown Lake Reservoir .Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
.Eventually MTBE will travel to deep drinking water aquifers. .Does MTBE get into our food chain because it is water soluble? We don't know.
SAFETY
.MTBE damages elastomers in the fuel systems of cars, which creates the potential for fuel leaks and car fires. .Can increased engine wear and internal vehicle rust and corrosion be caused by MTBE?
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
If you get headaches when driving or walking near roads or have developed respiratory problems or asthma in the last year and a half, if your car has been damaged by MTBE or if you drink from a private well which contains MTBE, please contact me so that we can assure that such information is considered in the study by the University of California.
Federal law does not require California to use MTBE. Let's get this poison out of California. Californians should not be guinea pigs being exposed to this hazardous chemical. |
