Researchers at Stanford University have found that using high blends of ethanol fuel in vehicles will likely increase health problems related to ozone as well as increase the amount of certain cancer-causing chemicals in the air we breathe when compared to the use of gasoline.
E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) produces higher amounts of a group of chemicals known as aldehydes than gasoline when burned. In addition to likely being carcinogens, aldehydes are also a precursor to the formation of ozone.
In any event, while the burning of gasoline also produces ozone, the researchers found that the burning of E85 in a combustion engine produces significantly more aldehydes and ozone.
There will be variations from city to city depending on a lot of other factors such as the amount of natural vegetation, traffic levels, and local weather patterns. In the overall, ethanol is still ahead of gasoline regarding other factors. But as the writer notes, burning inevitably spews chemicals we do not want.
Reason enough to encourage electric vehicles? Or is it a matter of deciding appropriate technologies for different uses?
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