"Environmental quality was drastically improved while economic activity grew by the simple expedient of removing lead from gasoline - which prevented it from entering the environment"
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Barry Commoner points to a case where environmental protection and economic growth advanced together, not in spite of each other. Lead was once added to gasoline as a cheap way to boost octane and prevent engine knock. Burned in millions of cars, it dispersed into air, soil, and dust, entering bodies through lungs and hands. Lead is a potent neurotoxin; it damages developing brains, raises blood pressure, and burdens whole communities with lifelong health costs. The remedy was straightforward: stop putting lead in fuel. By phasing out tetraethyl lead and shifting to unleaded gasoline, regulators cut the pollutant off at its source.
The results were dramatic. Ambient lead levels fell, and average blood lead in children dropped sharply, followed by measurable gains in health and cognitive outcomes. Cities began to recover from a contamination problem that had seemed inevitable. At the same time, the economy did not stall. The shift spurred innovation in refining and engine design, including the adoption of catalytic converters that also reduced carbon monoxide and smog-forming emissions. New technologies, standards, and industries grew around cleaner fuels and cleaner cars. The supposed tradeoff between jobs and clean air simply failed to materialize.
Commoner consistently argued that preventing pollution upstream beats trying to manage it downstream. The phrase "which prevented it from entering the environment" embodies his ecological law that everything must go somewhere. If a harmful substance is built into a product, it will escape into the world; remove the substance and the problem largely disappears. The episode became a touchstone in environmental policy, showing that well-designed regulation can align public health, technological progress, and economic vitality. It offers a template for current challenges, from greenhouse gases to toxic chemicals: identify the hazardous input, replace it, and let innovation and markets reorganize around safer practices. Far from hindering prosperity, that shift can make it possible.
The results were dramatic. Ambient lead levels fell, and average blood lead in children dropped sharply, followed by measurable gains in health and cognitive outcomes. Cities began to recover from a contamination problem that had seemed inevitable. At the same time, the economy did not stall. The shift spurred innovation in refining and engine design, including the adoption of catalytic converters that also reduced carbon monoxide and smog-forming emissions. New technologies, standards, and industries grew around cleaner fuels and cleaner cars. The supposed tradeoff between jobs and clean air simply failed to materialize.
Commoner consistently argued that preventing pollution upstream beats trying to manage it downstream. The phrase "which prevented it from entering the environment" embodies his ecological law that everything must go somewhere. If a harmful substance is built into a product, it will escape into the world; remove the substance and the problem largely disappears. The episode became a touchstone in environmental policy, showing that well-designed regulation can align public health, technological progress, and economic vitality. It offers a template for current challenges, from greenhouse gases to toxic chemicals: identify the hazardous input, replace it, and let innovation and markets reorganize around safer practices. Far from hindering prosperity, that shift can make it possible.
Quote Details
| Topic | Nature |
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