Is ethanol the answer?

If every vehicle in the U.S. ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase, according to a study by Mark Jacobson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University (Calif.; edlinks.chemengonline.com/6895-546). For the study, Jacobson used a computer model to simulate air quality in the year 2020, when ethanol-fueled vehicles are expected to be widely available in the U.S. “Our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage, he says. Although E85 vehicles — those using 85% ethanol in gasoline — reduced atmospheric levels of two carcinogens (benzene and butadiene), two others (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) increased. And in some parts of the U.S., E85 significantly increased ozone, a prime ingredient of smog, he says.