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Page added on February 17, 2009
Corn Ethanol: A Health Warning
Pollutants emitted as a result of corn biofuel production could have serious impacts.
Switching from gasoline or corn-based biofuels to cellulosic ethanol–made from the stalks and stems of plants–could have more health and environmental benefits than previously recognized, according to a study of different types of transportation fuels.
The environmental and health costs associated with cellulosic ethanol are less than half those of gasoline and of corn ethanol, the study found.
The analysis looked at the impacts of cellulosic and corn-based biofuels and of gasoline. It accounted for many possible impacts, including those from the energy used in refineries, the pollutants pumped out of car tailpipes, and the consequences of cultivating corn or other plants used to make biofuel.
This is the first study to focus not just on the environmental impacts of fuels, which have already been the subject of considerable scrutiny and debate, but also on the consequences for human health. Air pollutants emitted as a result of fuel production and consumption can cause breathing problems and aggravate asthma, and have been linked to premature death.
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