European Union Gives Green Light for the Continued Use of mmt® 1
With the adoption of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) the European Union (EU) allowed the continued use of mmt in Europe.
The new Directive requires the European Commission to assess the use of metallic additives by 2012. In the meantime, an interim limit of 6 mg Mn/litre for mmt as of 2011 was set. This limit will be reviewed and can be revised upwards if the results of the assessment by the European Commission justify it. Only if the assessment has not been completed on time or in the unlikely event that the assessment shows that mmt is not safe, a second lower interim limit of 2 mg Mn/litre will be set as of 2014.
Erika Mann, MEP said that "The revised Directive provides for the continued use of mmt, in recognition of the scientific conclusions reached by major trading partners, including the United States and Canada. Importantly, the revised Directive also requires the EU to conduct a scientific examination. I strongly believe -- and EU and international law require -- that restrictions on mmt must be based on science. Because other countries often model their fuel standards on those developed in Europe, it is essential that the EU ensure its fuel regulations are strongly supported by scientific evidence."2
The decision on the continuation of an assessment on mmt is a positive signal for EU decision-making. Afton is encouraged that the EU has established a science-based process to determine the appropriate longer term limit for mmt use in Europe. We are committed to contribute to this process. In this context, we have already pre-registered mmt under the EU’s chemicals legislation REACH.
Nevertheless, the introduction of the interim limits for mmt’s use raise broader concerns as they are not based on science and therefore set a dangerous regulatory precedent. Whenever mmt has undergone a scientific review, governments around the world have allowed for higher limits.
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1 mmt® is a registered trademark of Afton. mmt is a metallic fuel additive that helps raise the octane of unleaded fuel in an environmentally-beneficial and cost-effective way. When refiners use mmt they reduce crude oil consumption, energy use and emissions of CO2. For further information on mmt please visit: www.aftonchemical.com/Products/mmt/
2 Available at http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+CRE+20081217+ITEM-008+DOC+XML+V0//EN