The gasoline additive Mythyl Teriary Butyl Ether MTBE may become the biggest environmental crisis of the next decade.
(Published in The Monroe County Reporter - August 1, 2001)

If you found out that a chemical designed and mass-produced for use as a gasoline additive was contaminating your town’s water supply, would you drink it? Of course not! Especially if your water smells like turpentine and you learn that the health effects of exposure are not known, that the initial laboratory tests indicate that it may be a carcinogen and that there are no federal regulations requiring testing for the chemical. Some environmental experts are predicting that the gasoline additive Mythyl Teriary Butyl Ether MTBE will be the biggest environmental crisis of the next decade. MTBE, a synthetic chemical, has been used as an octane enhancer in gasoline since the late 70s and an emission reduction agent since 1990 when Congress passed the Clean Air Act. It is the second most widely distributed chemical in the county. MTBE is also a water pollutant. It is hydrophilic, which means it has a chemical attraction to water molecules and is also water-soluble. Most of the contamination occurs from leaks from underground gasoline storage tanks and once spilled MTBE moves faster and further in ground water than any other contaminant in gasoline. MTBE is the second most prevalent water contaminant in the USA. One cup of MTBE is found in ten gallons of gas and it takes only one cup of MTBE to contaminate 5 million gallons of water. South Tahoe and the city of Santa Monica, California found out about MTBE the hard way. Santa Monica has not been able to use their municipal supply wells since 1996 and purchase replacement water from the Colorado River. The residence of Glennville, California, with a population of 300 in 1977, went out of business and moved away when they discovered MTBE in their wells from a leak in the towns gas station’s storage tank. Many of the residence suffered from gastrointestinal and respiratory problems and skin rashes although they were told that MTBE was harmless. According to a report on the CBS program “60 minutes” aired in January 2000 MTBE has been found in 49 states, including Georgia, and 20% of the urban wells in the USA. The 42 million Americans who get water from private wells are particularly at risk. Cities who use surface water like rivers and reservoirs are safe (we don’t know for how long) as MTBE vaporizes when exposed to air and sunlight. Owners of private wells in New York, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, North Carolina and other states are currently involved in a lawsuit against the Petroleum Industry because of the MTBE contaminate. The city of Santa Monica won a settlement against the oil companies involved. Health complaints have also been reported from airborne MTBE. About two hundred residents of Fairbanks, Alaska complained of headaches, dizziness, eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, disorientation and nausea after MTBE was added to their gasoline. Studies by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Fairbanks, Alaska; Albany, New York: and Stamford, Connecticut have shown that concentration of MTBE in the blood is related to the concentration of MTBE in the air. People with the greatest exposure, such as gasoline service attendants, automobile mechanics and commuters, have the largest concentration of MTBE in their blood. Once in the air, MTBE can mix with precipitation that may carry the MTBE to the ground water or streams. Since there is no Federal mandate to test for MTBE many states are implementing their own tests to determine if MTBE is present at gasoline storage sites and in the public water supply. Clean water is a basic right and is a necessity for all life. Let’s keep our watershed and people healthy by phasing out MTBE as a gasoline additive, testing for MTBE in our wells, ground water and around gasoline storage tanks. Where gasoline spills happen the perpetrators should be subjected to heavy fines and held accountable for cleanup and damages. 

The Bush administration "quietly shelved" the Clinton-era regulatory action on MTBE in Feb. 2004. The three companies that produce more than half of all MTBE have contributed more than $1 million to republican candidates—including Bush.