The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluated the carcinogenicity of automotive gasoline and some oxygenated gasoline additives and published findings last week in The Lancet Oncology.
The Working Group evaluated automotive gasoline as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) on the basis of sufficient evidence for cancer in humans and the combination of sufficient evidence for cancer in experimental animals and strong mechanistic evidence in exposed humans. Automotive gasoline causes cancer of the urinary bladder and acute myeloid leukaemia in adults.
That was news that Rick Schwark with Absolute Energy took to Capitol Hill last week at the annual American Coalition for Ethanol DC Fly-in. “Gasoline is made of two main parts…it’s the aromatic compounds that are the issue and that’s where the octane comes from in gasoline,” said Schwark. “Ethanol’s high octane replaces them.”
Those compounds include Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE), tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), diisopropyl ether (DIPE), and tert-amyl methyl ether (TAME). MTBE and ETBE were both classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) on the basis of sufficient evidence for cancer in experimental animals.
Schwark adds that the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota is finding similar results in its breast cancer research.
2025 ACE Fly-in Rick Schwark, Absolute Energy 3:32