Ethanol or Gasoline: Which is Better for People?

What's good for the planet may not be so great for people, according to a Stanford University comparison of the health effects of gasoline and ethanol. Atmospheric Scientist Mark Jacobson performed a complex computer simulation that determined that if more cars ran on ethanol--which is supposed to reduce the number of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere--there would be a small but significant increase in smog-related deaths from health conditions like asthma, particularly in places like Los Angeles.

Predicting the future is never easy, of course. And, as Janet Wilson points out in the Los Angeles Times, there may be technological solutions that could take care of the slight increase in health risks. Wilson is right to cast the conclusions as uncertain.

I wish, however, Wilson had indicated that Jacobson is such a strong proponent of wind energy. That suggests he might be a little biased against ethanol. He might also be right, of course. (We all have biases; that doesn't necessarily make us blind.) Mentioning Jacobson's wind-power research just makes for a more complete picture.

More research is needed, as always. But this story definitely bears watching.

Source: MZ Jacobson, "Effects of Ethanol (E85) Versus Gasoline Vehicles on Cancer and Mortality in the United States," online edition of Environmental Science & Technology (April 18, 2007)