Hidden injustices of leaded petrol production at

New Zealand Refining Co in the leaded petrol era:

1964 to 1996

By Brian Arndt, BEng, Shift Operator from early 1965 to late 1975, New Zealand Refining Co, ,

with references added by Elizabeth O'Brien, BSc, The LEAD Group Inc. NB: LID refers to the Library ID

number in The LEAD Group’s Library database.

In a phonecall from Brian Arndt to Elizabeth O’Brien on Friday January 7, 2022,

Elizabeth made the following contemporaneous notes of what Brian said but was unable

countries.

Buddle Findlay charge like wounded bulls so I'll be sunk if I get their costs. I'm living

continuously with a standard pain level of 3-4 out of 10 in my stomach from the tri-ethyl

lead poisoning which Gil Newburn said 4 mths ago was causing ruptures in my stomach.

I get spikes of pain to 6-7. My dr Bruce Pitchford gave me some tablets for the pain but

when I showed them to the local pharmacist she said they're to treat syphilis and would

kill me. Octel had a man out to NZ in the 1970s to promote TEL to our government.

Innospec got fined $50m in US and 12.5 pounds in UK for bribery and corruption. Octel

was banned from manufacturing TEL in the 1970's. NZ Customs and Oz Customs are

based on UK Customs Law and they are supposed to keep records since 1984 but in

how many days I did on the white oils or any other area, like marine oils - I did 21 shifts

over every 28 days.

The amount of lead in air was 4 times the standard when it was monitored at the Jetty

when the leaded petrol was being loaded for shipping around New Zealand (not at the

Lead Plant where I mostly worked where 100% TEL or TML was constantly in the air)

after I finished working at the Refinery.

I'm very scared of Buddle Findlay. NZ has always had the highest car ownership in the

world per head of population.

[Reference: A screening-level risk assessment of petrol exposures in New Zealand - A

report to the Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Ltd. By J. Fowles and E.

NZ has the highest rates of cardiomyopathy and neurological issues like Alzheimers,

Parkinsons, etc and this is now known to be as a result of us having higher lead in petrol

and higher car ownership than other countries.

In an email sent: Saturday, January 8, 2022 1:12 PM, Brian Arndt wrote to The LEAD

Group:

It seems that there has been Files removed that relate to the early formation of the EPA

and its directives to "Clean up the Pollution of the Environment". However I have found

this page amongst some of my past Research, as above.

In 1972 the EPA stated that the ongoing lead levels were going to be 0.2 gms/US Gallon

and reducing to 0.1 gms/Gallon by 1975. There was an outcry from the Oil Industry

ago who had come to NZ from this Ellesmere Port area of the United Kingdom and

when asking him about Octel/Innospec his comment was "No bloody way did you go

anywhere near that Place - it was called the Poison Area".

I hope this will help in reviewing my position and there is no argument to oppose that

the Lead Levels used here in NZ were from 1964 to 1986 at 0.84 gms/liter - one of the

highest in the Western World. It is now believed that when poor Octane Ratings were

tested in the Naphtha Feedstock this would account for the extra emergency shifts to

transfer extra TEL/TML.

Jessie Stolark of EESI - Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Washington DC,

low-level lead exposure were established…

Leaded Gasoline Phase-Out in the United States

Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, setting in motion the formation of the EPA and,

ultimately, the removal of lead from gasoline….

Timeline of Lead Phase-Out

1970: Congress passes the Clean Air Act. The EPA is formed and given the authority to regulate

compounds that endanger human health.

1973: EPA mandates a phased-in reduction of lead content in all grades of gasoline.

1974: EPA requires availability of at least one grade of unleaded gasoline, in order to be

compatible with 1975 make and model year vehicles.

25459]:

2. In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires,-

"Fuel oil" means any petroleum which has a true flashpoint of over 150 degrees Fahrenheit and

which is used or intended for use as fuel:

112. (1) Before any oil tank is tested-

(a) All residual oil and any sludge or deposit therein shall be removed from any such tank which

has contained petrol or petroleum, and where any person is employed in the cleaning of the tank

which has contained oil with a flashpoint below 73 degrees Fahrenheit (close test) he shall be

provided with suitable breathing apparatus consisting of a helmet or face piece with necessary

connections by means of which he can breathe outside air:

(ii) The interior surfaces shall, if any deposit remains thereon, be washed or scraped

down.

(2) If the oil tank is on a ship, the duty of complying with paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of sub clause

(1) of this regulation shall rest on the master of the ship, and, in the case of an oil tank not on the

ship, the obligation of complying with those paragraphs shall rest on the owner of the oil tank.

written can be trusted

Astoundingly, when Octel falsely claimed in a New Zealand Herald newspaper

advertisement “Unleaded petrol and Cancer: Asbestos, Cigarettes, now Benzene” in 1995

that more benzene would be emitted from vehicles if unleaded petrol was used,

compared to leaded petrol, the only reason Octel agreed to stop running the

factually incorrect.

The relevant provision was Rule 2 of Advertising Code of Ethics.

[Reference: Octel - Unleaded Petrol Chairman's Ruling [1995] NZASA 47 (1 May 1995)

(re: Octel’s advertisement: "Unleaded petrol and Cancer: Asbestos, Cigarettes, now

Benzene"), by New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority (NZASA),

http://www.nzlii.org/cgi-bin/sinodisp/nz/cases/NZASA/1995/47.html?query=benzene

= LID 25460]