From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opal
is a variety of low-aromatic 91 RON
petrol
developed in 2005 by
BP Australia
to combat the rising use of gasoline as an
inhalant
in remote
Indigenous Australian
communities.
[1]
Though more expensive to produce, requiring a $0.33/litre Federal subsidy, a 2006 report found it would likely save at least $27 million per year when the social and health costs of petrol-sniffing were taken into account.
[2]
A 2010 senate report showed that the introduction of Opal in 106 communities across remote and regional Australia had led to a 70% drop in
petrol sniffing
in those communities.
[3]
Typical unleaded petrol contains 25%
aromatics
, such as
toluene
,
ortho-xylene
and
para-xylene
. In contrast, Opal contains only 5% aromatics, which means that it has less of the toluene and other solvents which produce the intoxication (or "high") that inhalant users are seeking. The
Australian Government
subsidises Opal's provision and restricts traditional unleaded petrol in some remote communities. According to BP, the lower volatile component in Opal means that cars using it are less prone to
vapour lock
.
[4]
Prior to the introduction of Opal,
Comgas
(a brand of the
aviation fuel
avgas
) was used in many communities to discourage use of fuel as an inhalant. Unlike Opal, however, Comgas contains
tetraethyllead
(TEL), a poisonous substance that inhibits
catalytic converters
and is therefore banned for automobile use in most parts of the world especially after the discovery that it increased concentrations of lead particles over the entire earth, including the poles.
[5]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
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External links
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