Unfortunately, in this effort to steer opinion, Mobil chose to bypass the high road by offering disparaging comments regarding methanol. Methanol is slightly more toxic than gasoline. The fatal range of ingestion for gasoline is 4 to 10 ounces, with methanol its 2 to 8 ounces. On the other hand, methanol is not a carcinogenic, reproductive or mutagenic hazard, and is not a threat to a fetus. Gasoline is a blend of hundreds of chemical compounds many of which are known human carcinogens such as benzene and toluene.
Methanol is soluble in groundwater, but is also readily biodegraded.
Compared to gasoline, methanol is much less persistent in the environment, is significantly less toxic to marine life and is more environmentally benign. In the laboratory and in the field, studies have found that methanol can be degraded in aerobic and anaerobic environments much faster than gasoline components such as benzene. The price tag to phase in methanol fueling capability is reasonable, and the benefits enormous. Methanol can be competitively priced against gasoline at the pump. With a broader network of retail energy stations, the price for a gallon of methanol would likely come down further still.