MMT in Canadian gas

*jeremy nelson prairies bureau chief*

A banned gasoline additive containing the neurotoxin manganese will soon
be back in Canadian gas tanks following a multi-million dollar
settlement between the Canadian government and US-Based Ethyl
Corporation, manufacturer of the controversial additive MMT.

Canada originally banned the inter-provincial trade and transportation
of MMT in 1996 amid fears that the manganese contained in the octane
enhancer could cause memory impairment, tremors and in extreme cases,
psychosis similar to that caused by Parkinson's Disease. Ethyl responded
to the ban by using the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to
sue Canada for a more than quarter of a billion dollars - the amount
Ethyl says the ban cost them in lost profits and damage to their
reputation.

The $350 million suit drew international attention because it marked the
first time a corporation had used free-trade agreement to directly sue a
national government. In the suit, Ethyl used Chapter 11 of the NAFTA,
which allows corporations to sue a government for compensation if that
government passes a law that harms a corporation's profits or reputation.


check-out:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/020821.htm

http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentID=1159

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• MMT
• Gasoline
• petrol
• petroleum
• NAFTA
• Canada
• tremors
• psychosis

[PrinssiFO]

Ethyl alcohol once used to be a octane booster. Ethyl company later figured that Tetra ethylene lead was a better alternative. Lead got phased out in most places at the turn of the century to be replaced by different additives like MBT and MMT, and a higher content of benzene. Ethyl alcohol might slowly be returning as a fuel additive. MMT is a better alternative than TEL, but why don't people drive diesel instead? There is no need for octane boosting in diesel.