MTBE Toxic Fuel Additive and Disease Fighting Medicine
Methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) is primarily a gasoline additive that moves quickly in the environment and has caused widespread contamination of drinking water wells across the country. EPA said in 1997 that MTBE is a potential carcinogen, but has never set a tap water standard for the chemical. . See also: Statement of Senator Boxer on EPA’s Failure to Set Drinking Water Standards for Perchlorate and MTBE. April 12, 2007 . MTBE is manufactured by the chemical reaction of methanol and isobutylene. It was produced in very large quantities (more than 200,000 barrels per day in the United States in 1999) when it was being used widely as a fuel additive. Because of widespread releases of MTBE-containing gasoline from Underground Storage Tanks all over the US, various jurisdictions banned the use of MTBE and production was reduced. MTBE contamination in drinking water aquifers is a serious concern in many states (most famous cases are Lake Tahoe and Santa Monica). By late 2006, most American gasoline retailers had ceased using MTBE as an oxygenate, and accordingly, US production had declined.