Green Fuels Threaten Britain's Bird Population
Copyright 2000 Reuters
December 7, 2000
LONDON (Reuters) - Chemicals used to make environmentally-friendly fuels could spell disaster for many British birds, experts said on Thursday.
Scientists leading an 18-month probe into the sharp decline in sparrow and starling populations in Britain believe two of the chemical components of unleaded petrol -- benzene and MTBE or methyl tertiary butyl ether -- could be directly responsible.
Billed as cleaner and greener, unleaded petrol uses the toxic chemicals to boost its octane-rating.
The European Union has set targets to reduce the level of benzene found in petrol by 80 percent, while MTBE is being phased out in Denmark and parts of America.
Sharp falls in the number of sparrows found in Britain in recent years prompted the Department of Transport Environment and the Regions to fund the research, which began on December 1.
Data collected by the British Trust of Ornithology show the a 50 percent fall in London's house sparrow population in the last five years, with starlings dropping by around 61 percent nationwide.
The Trust's director of projects, Dr Nigel Clark, said researchers had noted a correlation between the falls in bird numbers and the introduction of unleaded fuels, particularly in areas of high traffic congestion.
``One option is that (the chemicals) are having a direct effect on the birds, or they may be having an effect on invertebrate populations on which they feed,'' he said.