Ethanol Vehicles A Health Hazard

Ethanol advocates say that it’s a clean-burning fuel that is friendly to the environment. But a study by Stanford scientists found that if all US vehicles ran on ethanol, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase. “Our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage,” said Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson.

Jacobson’s work, reported in Environmental Science & Technology, involved the simulation of atmospheric conditions throughout the United States in 2020, with a special focus on Los Angeles. He simulated two scenarios; all vehicles fueled by gasoline, and all vehicles fueled by E85 (a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline).

Jacobson said the results of the computer simulations were striking. ”We found that E85 vehicles reduce atmospheric levels of two carcinogens, benzene and butadiene, but increase two others – formaldehyde and acetaldehyde,” he explained. ”As a result, cancer rates for E85 are likely to be similar to those for gasoline. However, E85 significantly increased ozone, a prime ingredient of smog.”

Ozone can decrease lung capacity, inflame lung tissue, worsen asthma and impair the body’s immune system. The simulations revealed that E85 would increase ozone-related mortalities by about 4 percent in the U.S. and 9 percent in Los Angeles.

The study noted that the deleterious health effects of E85 will be the same, whether the ethanol is made from corn, switchgrass or other plant products. ”Today, there is a lot of investment in ethanol,” Jacobson said. ”But we found that using E85 will cause at least as much health damage as gasoline, which already causes about 10,000 U.S. premature deaths annually from ozone and particulate matter. If we’re not getting any health benefits, then why continue to promote ethanol and other biofuels?”

Related:

Ozone – The Pollutant That Got Away
Study Slams Economics Of Ethanol And Biodiesel

Source: Stanford University

, ,

Comments are closed.

Commercial Ozone Generator Machine 12500mg/hr Adjustable Ozone Output by Sylvan picture

Commercial Ozone Generator Machine 12500mg/hr Adjustable Ozone Output by Sylvan

$189.00



NY NYC SUBWAY ROLL SIGN FULTON LEFFERTS BLVD OZONE PARK LIBERTY QUEENS BROOKLYN  picture

NY NYC SUBWAY ROLL SIGN FULTON LEFFERTS BLVD OZONE PARK LIBERTY QUEENS BROOKLYN

$249.95



NYC SUBWAY ROLL SIGN LEFFERTS BOULEVARD KEW GARDENS RICHMOND HILL OZONE QUEENS picture

NYC SUBWAY ROLL SIGN LEFFERTS BOULEVARD KEW GARDENS RICHMOND HILL OZONE QUEENS

$174.95



Commercial Ozone Generator 110,000mg/h Air Purifier for Home Industrial Spaces  picture

Commercial Ozone Generator 110,000mg/h Air Purifier for Home Industrial Spaces

$351.89



1973 Ozone Park Queens picture

1973 Ozone Park Queens

$24.99



Editorial Cartoon Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade George Herriman 1906 #0051 picture

Editorial Cartoon Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade George Herriman 1906 #0051

$8.99



Tales From The Ozone #2 1970 50 cents Print Mint Underground comic picture

Tales From The Ozone #2 1970 50 cents Print Mint Underground comic

$9.00



Vintage Ozone Soap Celluloid Advertising Pinback Bar Box General Country Store picture

Vintage Ozone Soap Celluloid Advertising Pinback Bar Box General Country Store

$59.95



OneShot Vintage Lava Lamp Repair Concentrate Drop-In Fluid Fix Your Broken Lamp picture

OneShot Vintage Lava Lamp Repair Concentrate Drop-In Fluid Fix Your Broken Lamp

$59.99



Ozone Odor Eliminator for Strong 99% Cat Litter Deodorizer Dog White  picture

Ozone Odor Eliminator for Strong 99% Cat Litter Deodorizer Dog White

$77.21



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes