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Strategies & Market Trends : 2026 TeoTwawKi ... 2032 Darkest Interregnum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (11498)	11/13/2006 8:03:24 PM
From: Elroy Jetson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 218142

The carcinogenic aspects of diesel are created through incomplete combustion and contained in the particulate emissions. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene cause leukemia. Prior to 1920, benzene was used in after-shave and douches due to its pleasant smell, was the most common industrial solvent, and used to decaffeinate coffee. Originally, and today, ethanol was used to increase the octane of gasoline (ie delay premature combustion). Due to the influence of Exxon and GM, this was replaced by a lead chemical which was slightly less expensive, excluding the costs of the environmental damage it created. Lead in gasoline was a creation of Thomas Midgely working for General Motors. Tetra-ethyl-lead made Midgely extremely ill leading to a two-year disability leave in Miami, and killed several of his associates. Dozens more were killed or permanently disabled in the first manufacturing plants. Midgely's other contribution to humanity was Freon. Basically Midgely was a one-man environmental disaster. GM and DuPont formed the Ethyl Gasoline corporation to make tetra-ethyl-lead. Octel was a UK based firm which also produced tetra-ethyl-lead. When lead was phased out of gasoline most oil companies planned to resume using ethanol as an additive. Then Exxon created a new monster molecule, MTBE, which was also slightly less expensive than ethanol. They created the Lyondell Chemical company to make MTBE. MTBE is not biodegradable and so consequently accumulates in the water table. Finally we're back to using Ethanol to raise octane. Its amazing to see the number of inferior, dangerous and slightly less expensive substitutes which can be created by people with nothing better to do with their time. .