More on lead

[RScott]

From the latest annual report of Innospec, the company in the UK that produces all the TEL in the world for 100LL (note the last sentence):

Worldwide use of TEL has declined since 1973 following the enactment of the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 and similar legislation in other countries. The trend of countries exiting the leaded gasoline market has resulted in a general rate of decline in volume terms in recent years of between 10% and 25% per annum. Net sales and gross profit of our Octane Additives business accounted for approximately 16% and 24%, respectively, of our consolidated sales and gross profit in 2007, and we expect both of these percentages to decline in fiscal year 2008. The predicted remaining sales of the Octane Additives business are now concentrated in a relatively small number of customers and therefore may decline with unpredictable volatility and severity. Should one or more of these customers choose for economic, environmental, political or other reasons to cease using TEL as an octane enhancer earlier than has been anticipated, then the Company's future operating income and cash flows from operating activities would be adversely impacted. There could also be an accelerated impairment of Octane Additives business goodwill as the forecast discounted cash flows from that business would be reduced. The Company anticipates that eventually all countries in the world will stop the use of TEL in automotive gasoline. The Company expects that it will cease all sales of TEL for use in automotive gasoline at some time in the next several years.

[az_gila]

...in their latest quarterly report.

They changed the prediction for their Octane Additives division (the TEL division) downwards for 2008.

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Predicted business for 2008 is going down

In Octane Additives, a sales decline of 25% to 30%

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They also have some financial exposure to the corrupt UN Oil for Food scandal.... an example of big government getting in the way of stuff...

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For those interested, the company is in Ellsmere Port on the River Mersey (the one with the ferry across it......) at the entrance to the Manchester Ship Canal... one of the exporting areas for chemicals (think ICI) in England. The location was based on the Romans using the local Cheshire salt to create chemicals. It would also seem that lead and salt have been inter-twined in that area for a long time...

http://www.saltsense.co.uk/history04.htm

I was born just across the river from there...