After 99 years, the world officially eliminated the use of leaded gasoline as gas stations in Algeria stopped offering leaded fuel, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said this week, calling for an accelerated transition to zero-emission vehicles. UNEP, a United Nations agency, led a two-decade campaign to end leaded gasoline, eliminating a threat to human health. The world started using leaded gasoline in 1922, with tetraethyllead as an additive to improve engine performance. However, tetraethyllead is linked to serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer. The compound also affects the development of the human brain, especially harming children. The use of leaded gasoline “has been a catastrophe for the environment and public health,” UNEP said. Most high-income developed economies had already banned the use of leaded gasoline by the 1980s. “The successful enforcement of the ban on leaded petrol is a huge milestone for global health and […]