§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what level of naturally occurring lead is present within unleaded petrol; and what volume of lead is released into the atmosphere per annum by this means.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIn 1988, the latest year for which figures are available, the concentration of lead in unleaded petrol averaged 0.002 grammes per litre, much of which was residual lead being flushed out of the distribution system. Combustion of the unleaded petrol sold in that year resulted in the emission of 0.5 tonnes of lead.
However, use of this fuel rather than leaded petrol avoided the emission of 35 tonnes. In 1989, we expect that the remarkable increase in the use of unleaded petrol will avoid emissions of around 600 tonnes of lead.