my parents are always telling me this is gonna be the first generation where parents outlive their children due to the horrible food we eat and this and that. yet they were exposed to all these types of chemicals, heavy smoking/secondhand smoke, they’re own plethora of horrible foods for you etc
I was born in 1951 and I grew up in the era where gasoline contained tetraethyl lead. Because of this I remember when the first unleaded gasoline started to be offered in California. It was in the early 1970s that a few gas stations started sell unleaded gasoline. This early unleaded gasoline had a very low octane and only worked in low compression engines. Also for a time gas stations started to sell what was called low lead gasoline. The first car I bought was a 1977 Datsun B210 which had a catalytic converter and required unleaded gasoline. By the time this car was on the market nearly all gas stations sold unleaded gasoline in addition to leaded gasoline. Also cars that needed unleaded gasoline had fill restrictors in the fill nozzle to allow only the smaller diameter unleaded gasoline nozzles into the the filler neck. This helped prevent miss fueling the car with leaded gasoline. Finally by 1996 the only gasoline sold for cars was unleaded gas. The era of gasoline pumps with the label, "For Use as a Motor Fuel Only contains Lead Tetraethyl" finally ended.
School pencils are graphite, not lead. You gotta go way back in time to find actual metal lead pencils in schools. Also, some states have quite a few 100% gasoline pumps. Oklahoma, for example, has 100% gasoline at virtually every major urban convenience store.
100 % gasoline is non oxygenated, not made with alcohol, hence the lower octane 91 or 92. Oxygenated has higher octane 92 93 because it uses alcohol, racing gas at stations with higher octanes 108 110 are made with alcohol. Leaded gasoline at pumps has been eliminated by the EPA, not saying someone isn't still selling Sunoco or VP gas at a retail pump, some might be but I wouldn't want the fine if caught. Off road at tracks leaded race gas is available for $$$$$, or getting low lead Aviation gas from an air port, can be done but I wouldn't fill the car there, because of federal and state taxes, someone might like getting people in trouble and unfortunately cameras are everywhere today.
The switch to unleaded gasoline happened because catalytic converters were required to be installed on cars starting in 1975. Leaded gasoline damages the catalyst, rendering it ineffective. Also, I think it's not an accident crime rates spiked from the late 1960s - 1990s because during that time, many people were exposed to environmental lead. In addition to cognitive damage, lead poisoning also causes antisocial behavior and violent tendencies in humans.
Very well done, Zack! It's pretty easy to think back then they would put lead and asbestos in almost ANYTHING because it was so cheap and easy to use. At the very least I know some of the first mass production head gaskets were asbestos and they only stopped that once they had to.
Leaded high-octane gas is still common in racing and almost universal for piston-engined aircraft. There is progress being made to certify aircraft engines to use pump gas. If you think certifying car parts is hard you have no idea how difficult it is to get FAA certification. Fortunately aviation and racing engines are a very small percentage of emissions because of their limited uses. Pencils are graphite, not lead.
This seems to have been a higher quality video essay than your prior ones - not ONLY because your featured my Excel 🤩. The intro was solid and I enjoyed your explanations.
I wouldn't be too dramatic about lead being banned in most gasoline after 1996. Lead is very destructive to catalytic converters, so as more cars required them, less leaded gasoline could be sold. In fact, unleaded only cars have a smaller fuel filler, so only unleaded pump nozzles would fit. With leaded gas being obsolete, I don't see why it never technically needed to be banned. I suspect the 1996 ban was more symbolic than anything else.
Indeed, plus if you have something that takes gas like a lawnmower, weed eater, etc.. that's going to sit for long periods like over winter then ethanol gas can be more likely to go bad faster, and gum up/gel up, if you forget to use a fuel stabilizer than non ethanol gas. My Toro push mower with a Honda motor says non ethanol gas only on it, although having said that, knowing that I'm going to burn through all the gas during mowing season I'll use cheaper 89 ethanol gas for most of it, and then use non ethanol with fuel at end to help wash out the ethanol along with Stabil during winter storage.
topic for essay: Why don't most (usually American-made, but not exclusively) vehicles in North America have amber turn signal lights on the REAR as you see on all vehicles in Europe? Thankfully on more modern cars it's happening, but on older makes, they are only on the front of the car - not the rear, where it's only red lights. It makes it less noticeable /obvious when you're following someone and they are turning. More so at night when the lights are on there's less of a difference for the blinking. It also doesn't help that many drivers (in my experience) break first and *then* use their turn signal - supposed to be the other way around to give the person behind you a chance to prepare to slow down. Quite annoying really. It's supposed to be a clear signal. Amber is much more explicit than red for your intention and avoids confusion. Also, amber flashing is a hazard warning indicator, and red for stop, so it serves as double info. Any idea why North America didn't care to do it for so long? cheers
@@fortheloveofnoise Sure red is more pleasing to the eyes, but are still safer and reduces rear-end collision, even your NHTSA studied this. It's not about what looks better, it's about safety. And believe it of not, many people still prefer amber turn signals, even some American prefer amber turn signals. Some Americans even wish the US government mandated separated amber turn signals, even Canada tried to mandate separated amber turn signals, but failed but of the US' outdated regulations.
We have 88 and 91 at a ton of stations in my area. 93 is honestly pretty uncommon still (mostly limited to gas stations built in the last 10 years). I'm in a midsize city in the Midwest US for reference.
Excellent Video! Veritasium has an even more detailed video about this that's interesting too! You bring up how ethanol could end up being a similar situation down the road, I think the same will happen to diesel and eventually regular gasoline down the line, If it can be proven to have negative health effects, someone will try and expose that. Diesel being especially bad in the human health department.
Lead was great for valve guides as well! The reduction in sulfur in diesel fuel has caused problems in fuel injectors as well for similar reasons the sulfur acts as a lubricant for the injectors.
A very important point you didn't mention. Lead metal is kind of safe. The problem of leaded gas is not just lead. It is Organolead compound which called tetraethyllead. Tetraethyllead is super toxic. It can be quickly absorbed by human body and also quickly kill you.
The flight school that I go to uses leaded gas. And the planes have zero emission equipment (which is typical). They always run at a very rich mixture on the ground, so the fumes are awful. I’m surprised I have any IQ points left at all
About planes and leaded penciles... Planes and their pilots hate lead as it gums up the engines and pencils never used lead but styluses did thusneds of years ago.
There are different ways of reporting octane rating. The Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON). They're both measured by running the fuel in a test engine, but the tests differ in what engine speed, compression ratios, fuel temperature, and ignition timing they use. Since the MON tests are designed to stress the fuel's knock resistance more than RON does, MON is typically about 10 points lower than RON for the same fuel. Most countries, including Indonesia, just use RON. But North America uses the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), defined as the mean of RON and MON ((RON + MON) / 2). Thus, 93 octane in the US is roughly equivalent to 97-98 octane in Indonesia.
I grew up in the leaded fuel era. If you don't mind speaking a tad slower and avoiding large words next time I'd appreciate it. Lol As usual very interesting content. Me like very much.
leaded isn't banned from use and not even from sale in england, there's still a few garages that sell it and i make my own leaded ethanol free fuel to use daily in my 80s car and i should add that octane ratings are different here also, standard is 95 and premium is 97 or 99, and i sometimes use 102
What happens if you put leaded fuel into a car that says unleaded? I load lead inside my engine, lead and alcohol. On the radio depending, I sign the protocol. I breathe. Clouds beneath my windows. Uh-huh.
1980s cars are better? You gotta be kidding me. The 80's were a terrible time for car performance and reliability. Engines leaked oil, low horsepower, higher maintenance and only lasted 100k miles. Body panels and frames would always rust out prematurely.
Different countries around the world calculate fuel octane differently. 93 in the USA is roughly equivalent to 98 in many parts of Europe, 89 in the USA is ~95 in Europe, and our 87 octane is roughly 91 across the pond. Australia is a bit different also.
@@matthewfuller1129 i still never saw octane 91 in Israel, the equivalent of 87 according to you, probably cause it's more expensive in Israel and 87/91 is less efficient, so I assume USA tolerate much worse fuel economy
Israel uses RON and US oses octane to my understanding although that might be wrong. 95 RON is like 91 octane which is still premium in the US. 93 octane is about the highest non-racing fuel I've seen in the US so I don't know if Isreal uses higher octane fuels or not.
Imagine being an integral part to the functionality of out modern world and instead of getting praise some ignorant kid on TH-cam just talks about your environmental impact
my parents are always telling me this is gonna be the first generation where parents outlive their children due to the horrible food we eat and this and that. yet they were exposed to all these types of chemicals, heavy smoking/secondhand smoke, they’re own plethora of horrible foods for you etc
U.S. life expectancy dropped for the first time a few years ago
Don't forget asbestos...
@@TheLordOfNothing and the rise of transgenders and vaping
Cell radiation, the food, this digital madness we all suffer from. Yea we have our own issues thank you.
@@derkommissar4986 Excuse me, transgenders?
I was born in 1951 and I grew up in the era where gasoline contained tetraethyl lead. Because of this I remember when the first unleaded gasoline started to be offered in California. It was in the early 1970s that a few gas stations started sell unleaded gasoline. This early unleaded gasoline had a very low octane and only worked in low compression engines. Also for a time gas stations started to sell what was called low lead gasoline. The first car I bought was a 1977 Datsun B210 which had a catalytic converter and required unleaded gasoline. By the time this car was on the market nearly all gas stations sold unleaded gasoline in addition to leaded gasoline. Also cars that needed unleaded gasoline had fill restrictors in the fill nozzle to allow only the smaller diameter unleaded gasoline nozzles into the the filler neck. This helped prevent miss fueling the car with leaded gasoline. Finally by 1996 the only gasoline sold for cars was unleaded gas. The era of gasoline pumps with the label, "For Use as a Motor Fuel Only contains Lead Tetraethyl" finally ended.
School pencils are graphite, not lead. You gotta go way back in time to find actual metal lead pencils in schools.
Also, some states have quite a few 100% gasoline pumps. Oklahoma, for example, has 100% gasoline at virtually every major urban convenience store.
Tennessee has them too. Seen racing fuel pumps in California too. Probably gone by now though.
100 % gasoline is non oxygenated, not made with alcohol, hence the lower octane 91 or 92.
Oxygenated has higher octane 92 93 because it uses alcohol, racing gas at stations with higher octanes 108 110 are made with alcohol.
Leaded gasoline at pumps has been eliminated by the EPA, not saying someone isn't still selling Sunoco or VP gas at a retail pump, some might be but I wouldn't want the fine if caught.
Off road at tracks leaded race gas is available for $$$$$, or getting low lead Aviation gas from an air port, can be done but I wouldn't fill the car there, because of federal and state taxes, someone might like getting people in trouble and unfortunately cameras are everywhere today.
The switch to unleaded gasoline happened because catalytic converters were required to be installed on cars starting in 1975. Leaded gasoline damages the catalyst, rendering it ineffective. Also, I think it's not an accident crime rates spiked from the late 1960s - 1990s because during that time, many people were exposed to environmental lead. In addition to cognitive damage, lead poisoning also causes antisocial behavior and violent tendencies in humans.
Please keep working on video essays like these. They're very informative.
I loved this video. this kinda thing is great i’m looking forward to next month
Very well done, Zack!
It's pretty easy to think back then they would put lead and asbestos in almost ANYTHING because it was so cheap and easy to use.
At the very least I know some of the first mass production head gaskets were asbestos and they only stopped that once they had to.
Very informative and entertaining. Another hit out of the park.
Thanks Zach
Leaded high-octane gas is still common in racing and almost universal for piston-engined aircraft. There is progress being made to certify aircraft engines to use pump gas. If you think certifying car parts is hard you have no idea how difficult it is to get FAA certification. Fortunately aviation and racing engines are a very small percentage of emissions because of their limited uses.
Pencils are graphite, not lead.
School pencils don't actually use lead, they use graphite.
This seems to have been a higher quality video essay than your prior ones - not ONLY because your featured my Excel 🤩. The intro was solid and I enjoyed your explanations.
reverse opening hoods/clamshell hoods would be a good topic for one of these kind of videos. always been curious about that.
I wouldn't be too dramatic about lead being banned in most gasoline after 1996. Lead is very destructive to catalytic converters, so as more cars required them, less leaded gasoline could be sold. In fact, unleaded only cars have a smaller fuel filler, so only unleaded pump nozzles would fit. With leaded gas being obsolete, I don't see why it never technically needed to be banned. I suspect the 1996 ban was more symbolic than anything else.
You are correct. Many stations stopped selling leaded gas well before 1996 because there was very low demand for it.
Love the video. The part about the man doing more damage to environment than Hummers had my dad and I laughing for a while.
Re ethanol free gas, it’s much better for older cars whose engines weren’t designed to deal with ethanol. I put ethanol free in my 85 Celica.
Indeed, plus if you have something that takes gas like a lawnmower, weed eater, etc.. that's going to sit for long periods like over winter then ethanol gas can be more likely to go bad faster, and gum up/gel up, if you forget to use a fuel stabilizer than non ethanol gas. My Toro push mower with a Honda motor says non ethanol gas only on it, although having said that, knowing that I'm going to burn through all the gas during mowing season I'll use cheaper 89 ethanol gas for most of it, and then use non ethanol with fuel at end to help wash out the ethanol along with Stabil during winter storage.
Generally, as long as your fuel is less than 10% Ethanol, you'll probably be okay. Even in small engines (like lawnmowers and such).
Gas stations need to remove the phrase “unleaded” from the signs. They also need to change the 9/10th of a cent tax
topic for essay: Why don't most (usually American-made, but not exclusively) vehicles in North America have amber turn signal lights on the REAR as you see on all vehicles in Europe?
Thankfully on more modern cars it's happening, but on older makes, they are only on the front of the car - not the rear, where it's only red lights. It makes it less noticeable /obvious when you're following someone and they are turning. More so at night when the lights are on there's less of a difference for the blinking.
It also doesn't help that many drivers (in my experience) break first and *then* use their turn signal - supposed to be the other way around to give the person behind you a chance to prepare to slow down. Quite annoying really. It's supposed to be a clear signal. Amber is much more explicit than red for your intention and avoids confusion. Also, amber flashing is a hazard warning indicator, and red for stop, so it serves as double info. Any idea why North America didn't care to do it for so long? cheers
Not all modern cars in the US, some newer cars sold in the US still have red turn signals for some dumb reason.
Looks better to not have the amber lights, also the red lights are better on the eyes of people behind you.
@@fortheloveofnoise Sure red is more pleasing to the eyes, but are still safer and reduces rear-end collision, even your NHTSA studied this.
It's not about what looks better, it's about safety. And believe it of not, many people still prefer amber turn signals, even some American prefer amber turn signals.
Some Americans even wish the US government mandated separated amber turn signals, even Canada tried to mandate separated amber turn signals, but failed but of the US' outdated regulations.
We have 88 and 91 at a ton of stations in my area. 93 is honestly pretty uncommon still (mostly limited to gas stations built in the last 10 years). I'm in a midsize city in the Midwest US for reference.
Love it. Very informative. Great way to carry forward! Bravo!
Excellent Video! Veritasium has an even more detailed video about this that's interesting too! You bring up how ethanol could end up being a similar situation down the road, I think the same will happen to diesel and eventually regular gasoline down the line, If it can be proven to have negative health effects, someone will try and expose that. Diesel being especially bad in the human health department.
I think an origin on each body style of vehicle would be a cool idea, where did the sedan, coupe, pickup, hatchback ect originate from
I learned some stuff I didn't know. How about doing one on car radio antennas?
Lead was great for valve guides as well! The reduction in sulfur in diesel fuel has caused problems in fuel injectors as well for similar reasons the sulfur acts as a lubricant for the injectors.
Damn Zack. Your an awesome narrator 👍👍😀
A very important point you didn't mention. Lead metal is kind of safe. The problem of leaded gas is not just lead. It is Organolead compound which called tetraethyllead. Tetraethyllead is super toxic. It can be quickly absorbed by human body and also quickly kill you.
Interesting documentary!
Will you cover manual stick shift for your next video essay
Well done Zack keep it up 👍
Great shots in front of our Shell Station!
I was there again on Saturday! Great stuff!
Leaded fuel is still made today, i use it every week in general aviation planes, 100 low lead. Hint: it’s not actually low lead.
im glad you brought up the health defects
Leaded gas pump nozzles are larger and you can fill a car faster than with unleaded.
I remember that.
The flight school that I go to uses leaded gas. And the planes have zero emission equipment (which is typical). They always run at a very rich mixture on the ground, so the fumes are awful. I’m surprised I have any IQ points left at all
Short lived? Leaded gasoline was used for 7 decades, that's about 69 years too long!
We have 87, 89, 91, and 94 up here in Canada and even 97 at some gas stations
About planes and leaded penciles... Planes and their pilots hate lead as it gums up the engines and pencils never used lead but styluses did thusneds of years ago.
US fuel octane only goes up to 93? We get 95 fuel here in Indonesia
There are different ways of reporting octane rating. The Research Octane Number (RON) and the Motor Octane Number (MON). They're both measured by running the fuel in a test engine, but the tests differ in what engine speed, compression ratios, fuel temperature, and ignition timing they use. Since the MON tests are designed to stress the fuel's knock resistance more than RON does, MON is typically about 10 points lower than RON for the same fuel.
Most countries, including Indonesia, just use RON. But North America uses the Anti-Knock Index (AKI), defined as the mean of RON and MON ((RON + MON) / 2). Thus, 93 octane in the US is roughly equivalent to 97-98 octane in Indonesia.
It was added to gasoline early in WW2 as a cheap way to increase octane for the higher compression engines of aircraft.
I grew up in the leaded fuel era. If you don't mind speaking a tad slower and avoiding large words next time I'd appreciate it. Lol As usual very interesting content. Me like very much.
My dad had a k5 blazer he had to put lead substitute or it didn't run right
some people say that lead lubricanted the valves but valves made harder so lead wasn't needed.
I've heard ethanol isn't good for some engines, what about that>?
Dude I wonder about leaded fuel all the time just didn’t know there was answers out there
leaded isn't banned from use and not even from sale in england, there's still a few garages that sell it and i make my own leaded ethanol free fuel to use daily in my 80s car and i should add that octane ratings are different here also, standard is 95 and premium is 97 or 99, and i sometimes use 102
WoW very interesting essay
Owned a 69 chevy truck. I definitely know what leaded gas is.
What happens if you put leaded fuel into a car that says unleaded?
I load lead inside my engine, lead and alcohol.
On the radio depending, I sign the protocol.
I breathe. Clouds beneath my windows. Uh-huh.
i liked the vid! ethonal free gas is very popular in the motorcycle community as well! also pencils have graphite lol
1980s cars are better? You gotta be kidding me. The 80's were a terrible time for car performance and reliability. Engines leaked oil, low horsepower, higher maintenance and only lasted 100k miles. Body panels and frames would always rust out prematurely.
Yeah I live in small rural town and it’s ethanol free gas here
Your fuel only goes to 95? We get 98 from everywhere and shell has a 101 octane
Different countries use different octane measurement systems. 93 is equivalent to your 98. 87 is like your 91
USA use 87 octane?
Growing up in Israel the lowest the octane i saw was 95, you used to get 98 but that was banned/discontinued over 10 years ago
Different countries around the world calculate fuel octane differently. 93 in the USA is roughly equivalent to 98 in many parts of Europe, 89 in the USA is ~95 in Europe, and our 87 octane is roughly 91 across the pond. Australia is a bit different also.
@@matthewfuller1129 i still never saw octane 91 in Israel, the equivalent of 87 according to you, probably cause it's more expensive in Israel and 87/91 is less efficient, so I assume USA tolerate much worse fuel economy
Israel uses RON and US oses octane to my understanding although that might be wrong. 95 RON is like 91 octane which is still premium in the US. 93 octane is about the highest non-racing fuel I've seen in the US so I don't know if Isreal uses higher octane fuels or not.
I enjoy these so much. I learn a lot every time!
4:18 lmao that got me laughing hard
Imagine being an integral part to the functionality of out modern world and instead of getting praise some ignorant kid on TH-cam just talks about your environmental impact
And yet the people who were alive at the time are living to 100
it's pronounced te-tra-eth-yl lead, what the hell was that at 1:52?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Ty for acknowledging the widespread, low level lead poisoning which explains some of the behaviors exhibited by some of the baby boomer generation.
Up next....how the great American sedan will one day return
THAT ME I HAVE Learning Disability AND MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM
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People used to drive better when fuel was leaded. :)
I am serious.
Well done, Zack!! Greta Thunberg is asking if you're single.
I blame all the lead as the reason why Boomers and Gen X vote Republican.
Lead is a lubricant for valves that is all.