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

To: arun gera who wrote (97542)	1/6/2013 7:12:00 PM
From: Maurice Winn	2 Recommendations Respond to of 218682

Lead in petrol had a relatively small effect on brain function, though the neurotoxic damage was about 0.3 IQ points which seems trivial but in fact is a significant economic cost. Lead in paint and from other sources was a worse problem. The lead in bullets was a much greater problem. Lead in petrol - gasoline was one of the big blunders of the 20th century. The costs far exceeded the benefits. Some costs: Combustion chamber deposits Octane number requirement increase Spark plug fouling Engine oil fouling Exhaust system damage Carcinogenic lead scavengers needed Reduced thermodynamic efficiency [my theory] Plus brain damage toxicity: People working on engines and exhaust systems People handling gasoline [lawn mowers, boats, motor bikes etc] Everyone on the receiving end of the exhaust pipe - lead on crops and in water and spread everywhere Pollution of water ways from stormwater run-off from roads. Leaded petrol was also more expensive [lead additives were expensive]. The knock resistance was popular though, so selling it was easy enough. Add 0.84 grams per litre and a few extra octane numbers were gained. Shell did the opposite [in 1986] and added a potassium "Spark Aider" to "Formula Shell" which caused knock by enhancing the ignition process rather than retarding it. That was a major blunder they made and it was predictable. I predicted it within a week of them introducing it and sure enough, as soon as the hot weather arrived, knock was a major problem - they should have boosted octane number too, and had a winner, but they didn't because that would have cost them real money. Initially, Formula Shell caused a minor panic in BP, but within a week we figured out that they were not going to succeed [because of the likely knock problem] Mqurice <<0.25IQ points doesn't sound much. "Hey we have 100 of them! I can spare a couple". But somebody with 30 more IQ points than that person can figure out the economic cost and it is in the umpty mega$billions. Think salary differences between 100 IQ point people and 120 IQ point people and 140 IQ point people. >>