By: Katie Mantell
Send to a friend
The details you provide on this page will not be used to send unsolicited email, and will not be sold to a 3rd party. See privacy policy.
A survey to be presented to environment ministers at a UNEP conference in Nairobi, Kenya, next week shows that four countries (Egypt, Libya, Mauritius and Sudan) are already lead-free. And this year Morocco, Réunion, Tunisia and Western Saharan territories will also completely phase out leaded petrol.
The survey indicates that a further 22 countries — including Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo and Uganda — have drawn up, or are in the process of developing, plans to phase out leaded petrol by 2006.
Lead in petrol can be a serious health risk, particularly in children. It can cause irreversible brain damage, stunted growth, behavioural disorders, and visual and hearing problems. Around 90 per cent of the world’s petrol supplies are now unleaded with the remainder concentrated in developing countries, especially Africa.
© SciDev.Net 2003
Related articles:
West African nations to phase out leaded petrol, 20 May 2002
Photo credit: NREL