r of cars without catalytic converters dwindles, fewer people are using leaded gasoline. From 1976 to 1980, the production of lead-containing gasoline additives dropped by more than half. This decline resulted in a mean blood lead level decline of more than 30 percent. Moreover, such improvements should only continue as leaded gasoline is gradually phased out.
Two components of air pollution which also derive from automobile exhaust include carbon monoxide and ozone. Carbon monoxide contamination is most severe during the winter months. On cold days, in order to help the engine start, a car's carburetor or fuel injector will deliver a fuel-rich mixture. This "choked" mixture typically undergoes incomplete combustion (Wald, "2d Air" 21, 25). Instead of producing carbon dioxide and water, the end products of poor combustion include carbon monoxide. Only after a car is driven, and the catalytic converter warms up, is excess carbon monoxide burned off.
A colorless, odorless gas, carbon monoxide is heavier than air. It
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