ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(73)2050
Vol.1973/0368

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COMMISSION OBTUSEUE.QFEAN COMMÏMIÏTES
COM(73)2050 final
Brussels ,5December 1973
PROPOSAL FOR ACOUNCIL DIRECTIVE
concerning theapproximation of "thelaws oftheMember States
,relating tothecomposition ofpetrol .
-Problem ofthelead content ofpetrol -
/
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
)
(
COKC73 )2050 final

Thedifferences betweenthelaws,regulations oradministrative measures
intheEECMemberStatesonthelimitationoftheleadcontentofpe­
trolformotorvehiclesthreatenstocreateobstaclestothefreemove­
mentbothoffuelsandmotorvehicleswithintheCommunity# Thefol­
lowingtablesummarizestheregulationsalreadyinforceorinthe
courseofpreparation incertaincountries.
Country
Belgium
France ,
Italy
Netherlands
WestGermany
United
Kingdom
Switzerland
U.S.A.LeadContent(g/l)...-–___^6/,J3atexntoforprecent
0.8^
0.6^
O.b^f
OA
O.Sk
o.ko
0.8kfuture
0,55
0.^5ce
i
0.57)prin „
00.15
0.6^
0.55
0.^5alreadyapplies
alreadyapplies
1.1.-1974
1.1.1976
alreadyapplies
jalreadyapplies
ialreadyapplies
1.1.1976
alreadyapplies
1.1.1973
1.1.197u■
1.1.1976
alreadyappliesRémarks
recommended limit
limitlaiddownbyregulat.
proposedregulation
proposedregulation
liraitlaiddownbyrégulât.
scontentvhichcanborelaxed ,jorwhichc?.nberelieved jrecommended limit
Ilimitlaiddownbyrégulât,
i11 11,m'11 11
rscommended lirait
jproposedrecommendations
Iproposedrecommendations
]proposedrecommendations
a10i- •alreadyapplies
!0.53(:'D1.1.1975
) 1
|oAp(-À1.1.1976
O.JfO(*J1.T.1977
,0.33(-:;1.1.1978limitlaiddown
byregulation
Re-covr -.endedUnitproposedreconr.endntion li-nits
11
IT
fl1;
11
11ïi
fi
11
Thesedifferingregulations notonlycausetheusertroublewhentra­
vellingintheMemberStates,but,alsoincreasehisexpenses,sincethe
oilandmotorindustriesareobligedspeciallytoproduceandexport
productswhichcomplywiththedifferentregulations ofindividual coun­
tries.Thisproblemisparticularly acuteinthemotorindustries,
whereprofitability dependsonlargeproductionruns.
("')£'.*v:immpomisnlbls v?,lu-3fortho-\rithiooticna-.ncftlulead
J:'rofinoryovorr,thresninthlyperiod*

Itwould beregrettable ifthenewmarket of260million consumers created
bytheaccession ofGreat Britain ,Ireland andDenmark were once again to
bepartitioned ,this time because ofthetechnical regulations inforce
inthis field . =:
Actions undertaken bythe ,Commission uptothe present time
Assoon astheCommission wasinformed ,atthebeginning of197*1 ,ofthe
steps taken orplanned bycertain Member States toreduce thelead con­
tent ofpetrol ,itsetupa-working party tostudy theproblems posed
.byairpollution caused bymotor vehicles .This working party came to­
gether in .March 1971 *Itquickly became apparent that itwould bene­
cessary tostudy the technical andhealth aspects oftheproblem sepa - ■
rately .
The meetings oftheTechnical Aspects Study Group have been principally
devoted' toastudy oftheimplications 'forautomobile construction ofthe
requirement touse fuels which ,asaresult ofareduced lead content ,
would have different properties from the fuels now inuse .Inthe course
ofthis work the motor manufacturers concerned -have been consulted ,par­
ticularly about theprogress ofresearch ondevices forretaining the
lead particles intheexhaust systems ;these areknown aslead traps .
The meetings oftheHealth Aspects Committee have been principally devoted
tostudying theeffects oflead onthehuman body and toharmonization
ofthe methods used for determining lead intheatmosphere and inthe
human body .This committee organized aseminar onlead metabolism ,with
theaimofpinpointing those factors which arenecessary foranevalua­
tion oftherelative importance ofthevarious lead sources inthetotal
amount oflead found inthehuman body .^Aninternational symposium was
also held inOctober 1972 ontheinitiative oftheCommittee .Theaim of
this symposium wastoassess thestate ofalltheresearch being carried
outinto theeffects onmanofthelead present intheenvironment .
Inaddition ,theCommission organized twomeetings toexamine with re­
presentatives oftheoilandmotor industries thetechnical andeconomic
repercussions ofareduction inthelead content ofthepetrol onthe
market .
Thework ofthese working parties v/asaided bystudies prepared forthe
Commission under contract bycompetent bodies andexperts .

-3-
3'Effec tsoflead onthe performance ofengines
The engines ofEuropean vehicles nowadays have ahigh output and specific
power made possible byhigh compression ratios and high engine speeds .As
aresult they require fuels ofimpressingly high quality ..Inthe present
state oftheoilindustry ,ithasbeen possible toimprove this quality
only bytheaddition ofantiknock agents tothe fuels intended for spark -
ignition engines , , . . .
Atpresent ,thequality ofsuch fuels ,interms oftheresearch octane
number (RON )isbetween 98and100forpremium andbetween 90and92forre­
gular .Itisestimated that without additives ,theRON forclear petrol
would be90/91forpremium and85forregular .
The additives most frequently used toincrease the antiknock qualities of
petrol are lead tetraethyl and lead tetramethyl ,asthey have hitherto
been considered thecheapest and'most 'technically satisfactory .
Inmost engines theuse ofpetrol with insufficient antiknock causes spon­
taneous combustion .Pressure variation inthecylinder causes theabnor­
malrunning noise called "pinking ".When this noise isproduced ,the en­
gine isbeing overtr^ated and overloaded ,andprolonged operation under
these conditions ,prpduces premature wear .
■The only way -toadapt the engines ofvehicles now onthe roads toburn
apetrol ofaquality lower ,than that for'which they were designed isby
modifying theignition advance ,andthis canbedone only within very narrcr
limits set byoverheating .
The engines offuture generations ofcars ,could bedesigned toallow for
thepossibly inferior characteristics ofthe new fuels ,byhaving for
example ,alower compression ratio than that ofpresent engines .Here
again ,however ,there would have tobeanincrease inconsumption (which
might beasmuch as10%according tocertain estimates )with possibly
reduced levels ofperformance owing-to thereduction inengine output .
This increased consumption would naturally lead toanincreased volume
ofexhaust gas ,and thus ,inabsolute terms ,to •an,increase intheemission
ofpollutants .The increase would beeven greater ifamanufacturer Jvere
toincrease thecylinder capacity ofhis engines tocompensate for the
possible loss ofperformance mentioned above .

-k-
Furthermore ,thelead deposited inthecylinders lubricates thevalves
and their seats# Present engine design tc-Jces this protective effect
into account and the lead cfoft'tent inpetrol cannot bereduced below a
certain level without prejudicing thesmooth running ofthese engines .
k.:Emissions oflead inexhaust' gases
During combustion theorganic lead compounds arebroken down byheat and
pressure inthecylinder ,andactascatalytic inhibitors .Attheend
ofthecombustion cycle ,thelead forms mineral compounds with other ele­
ments present intheexhaust gases , •These compounds' are generally emitted
•intheform of*eadhalides which ,atlower temperatures ,form complexes
with ammonium halides .
The size and themass oftheemitted particles depsnd ontheoperating
conditions ofthe engine ,its age and the state oftheexhaust system .
Inanew exhaust system ,theparticles aredeposited uptoacertain level
ofsaturation ,and especially atlow .temperatures and gasvelocities such
asoccur intown operation .
Part ofthese deposits maysubsequently beexpelled athigher tempera­
tures and gas velocities . ' ' .
Theparticles which pass directly into theair from thecombustion chamber
have adiameter ofless than 5microns ,themajority less than 0.5 mi­
crons .Ontheother hand thediameter ofparticles initially deposited
intheexhaust syst.em andlater expelled bymechanical orthermal effects
isgenerally greater than 5microns .
Itisgenerally estimated that during thelife ofacar ,between 70%
and80%ofthelead inthepetrol consumed isreleased intheexhaust ,
andapproximately half theparticles areless than 5microns indiameter .
However ,these values vary widely .
5.Leadinthe atmosphere
The lead emissions from motor vehicles constitute alarge part ofthe
total quantity ofthis element intheatmosphere ,inparticular inthe
atmosphere ofourbigcities .Asurvey recently carried outbya

-5-
committee ofexperts for theCommission andpublished inthereport
EUR4882 ,gave thefollowing results forthelead concentration inthe
atmosphere intheEuropean Community . .
These values aretheresult ofcontinuous monitoring (24hours perday )
between 1April 1971 and 31March 1972 .
Place value inmicrograms per■ :
_B
.Rural areas monthly average <
daily maxima <-0.
15 :
Secondary cities _
l-residential areasmonthly average ^
:daily maximum '<1
.2
î-Heavy traffic points not determined -
•-residential areas ■.monthly average .....<
daily maximum <2
8
.-heavy traffic points.:monthly average
daily maximum ... ^.6.
10.5
Effects onthe human body oflead pollution inthe air ;.
Lead particles less than 5microns insize canpenetrate into thelungs .
Itisestimated that 25-\?0 %ofthese particles .aredeposited inthe
bronchia and thealveoles ;themaximum rate ofdeposition isthought
tooccur with particles 0.5-1micron insize .Almost alltheparticles
thus deposited areabsorbed andpass very quickly into theblood .
However ,theinhaled lead constitutes only part -10-40 %according to
theexperts -ofthetotal lead inthehuman body . .Considerable quan­
tities are also ingested with food anddrink -inEurope 200-500 micro­
grams daily .
Correlations between thelead concentration intheatmosphere andlead
poisoning ,orother biological indicators oflead poisoning ,have not
asyet been established with any certainty ,but very active research xa
inprogress . . .,

Thetoxiceffectsofleadonmanhave"beenknownforalongtime,satur-
nism"beingoneofthefirstindustrialdiseasesto"berecognized .But
theclinicaleffectsofsaturnism "becomeapparentonlywhenmassive
quantitiesofleadareingestedand/orinhaled.Withmuchlcwerexpo­
surescertainsubclinicalsignsmayappear,suchasthepartial
inhibitionofcertainenzymesconcernedinthesynthesisofhaemoglobin.
Thesesubclinicalsignshavebeenobservedincertaingroupsofworkers
whoareexprbsedoverlongperiodstotheatmosphereof-streetswhere
theleadconcentration isatitshighest(policemen,,roadworkers ,
road-sweepers),butnoconclusionscanbeknownastotheeffecton
thehealthofthepeopleinquestion.
Inthepopulationasawhole,includingsensitivegroupssuchas
children,anaccumulation oflead,principallyinthebones,isnoted
overtheyears;however,ithasnotasyetbeenpossibletodemonstrate
theharmfuleffectsonhealthoftheaccumulations usuallyencountered .
Meanwhile .theevolution'.oftheproblemcact*/b®.followedSo.th.:Vb
additional :mc^sut'ea' .o~„n'b'>tak'in-'.rs-'soonasthenecessityarises.
Effectsontheoilindustryofareductionintheleadcontentofpetrol
Thereductionoftheleadcontentofpetrolshasmarkedeffectson
theirpropertiesand,dependingonthedegreeofreductionitself,would
necessitateappreciableproductionchanges,notonlytechnicaland
structural butalsofinancialandeconomic.
Honewadditivecapableofsatisfactorily replacingleadisatpresent
insight;furthermore ,restrictions ontheuseofnewbasematerials
suchasmethanol,ethanolandtheethersarequitesevere,andtheyare
tooexpensive.
Theremainingsolutionsentailmodifications totherefiningsystem.It
istechnicallypossibletoproduceahighRONfuelusingprocessingplant
thetechnologyofwhichisalreadyverywellunderstood.Inparticular ,
higherstandardsofcatalyticreformingarepossible.Thislvouldpermit
anincreaseintheantiknockqualityoftheclearfuelbutwould
increasethepercentageofaromaticsandreducetheoutputoftheprocess.

-7-
Although theaddition oflight isomers intheformulation ofpetrols
permits anappreciable improvement oftheir Delta R(100°C)(l),their
usewould hegoverned "bythevolatility limits established forfuels .
Alklation linked with thepresence ofcatalytic cracking units canonly -
play alimited role inview oftheprobable evolution ofthe structure
ofpetroleum products consumption inEurope .
Adetailed study wascarried outbytheCommission 'sdepartments in
collaboration with experts from thepetroleum andautomobile sectors .
Theaimwastoexamine theeffects ontheCommunity oilmarket ofthe
reduction oflead inpetrol .Thetechnical ,industrial ,financial and
economic aspects oftheproblem aredealt with inG;special report .,
tftscoaclue ions can bei©uatisd upaarfoilo¥s :n:.ZCIIQ -;,-* :
Anyreduction oflead levels infuels would increase production costs ,
reduce flexibility inrefinery production ,andalso necessitate
considerable investment .Thus anyprogramme toreduce lead levels
should ,asfaraspossible ,have tobecarried outinstages .Itis
important tonote that ifoneassumes agradual reduction oflead levels
inpetrol ,athreshold will bemetat0.45-0-40gr/l.Above this value ,
themodifications which would have tobemade intherefining process
would betechnically andeconomically feasible .But ,once this
threshold wascrossed ,anydifficulty encountered ,whether technical or
economic ,would beonalarger scale ,andlarge andcostly changes
would have tobemade intherefining process . • •
8.TheJhfffefefscfrg axr&daotioAiaa Inal'Jn '"/.frerrt .-ntpetpolroih .that Etorfh.r'iiiylity 's
cruflsrad a1osupp'i y?ly
Theeffects ofanysuch reduction onthesupply .ofcrude oiltothe •
European oilindustry areanimportant factor atatime' when thedanger
ofashortage ofprimary energy isbeing discussed seriously andwhen
difference between the research octane number of
afuel andthat ofitsfraction distilled at100°C .
Criterion fortheantiknock quality ofafuel atlow
engine speed .(1)Delta R(l°°C)-

-8-
some experts view theCommunity 'slong-term crude oilsupply situation
with pessimism .Additional crude oilrequirements may result for two
reasons :
a)thereduction oftheoutput ofrefining installations ,iftheoctane
level ofpetrols has tobemaintained inspite ofthereduction of
their lead content .Little data isavailable atpresent ,but ini­
tial estimates suggest anadditional requirement ofabout 1-k%
forareduction to0*A -gr/1,and3-8%forareduction forell
types ofpetrol toapproximately 0.15 gr/l«
b)theincrease inengine consumption ,forthereasons setoutin
section 3;this might sometimes beasmuch as10%,
Inview ofthevast quantity ofcrude oilnecessary toproduce the
petrol consumed intheCommunity (approximately 63million metric
tons in1971 ),very careful thought should begiven tothequestion
ofjust how farthese additional requirements could beaccepted .In'
all theMember States ,any further increase intheconsumption ofcrude
oilrepresents anincrease inimports ,andthis asignifi­
cant influence ontrade balances .
9.Régulations intheUnited States
InFebruary 1972 ,theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA )made public
'forthe first time itsintention ofestablishing ,-under theClean Air
Act ,regulations aiming atthemarketing ofanewlead-free type of
petrol ,andthephased reduction ofthelead content inother qualities
ofpetrol over theperiod 1January 197^-1January 1977 .

-9-
Inthis announcement ,interested circles were invited ,inaccordance
with United States practice ,tocomment onthis proposal inpublic
hearings orinwriting .
Asaresult ofthelarge number ofsubmissions received ,theEPApu­
blished inJanuary 1973 regulations requiring that asfrom 1July 197^
atleast onequality of'lead-free petrol with aRON of91should be
available tousers ,andamending itsproposal for the phased reduction
ofthe lead content inthe other petrol qualities ,byassigning dates
for entry into force oneyear later than originally planned ;these
dates are set out inthe table insection .1. " ■. ■ •'
The argument oftheEPA inrequiring alead-free petrol was that it
was expecting thegeneralized use ofcatalytic devices inorder to
satisfy the limits for carbon monoxide ,unburnt hydrocarbons and
nitrogen oxides which itwas intending toimpose for 1975 and that
these devices would not tclerate lead . ,
Subsequently ,acertain change inthe attitude oftheEPA tothe other
Vehicle emissions has been noticeable .Following apublic hearing
inMarch 1973 ofthe automobile industry which had called for aone
year postponement oftheregulations planned for 1975 }theEPAmo­
dified its requirements byintroducing provisional standards for 1975 *
These provisional standards ,which are iiigeneral less severe than
those originally proposed ,make adistinction between theState of
California ,considered tobeespecially threatened ,and therest of
thecountry .TheEPA assumes that inorder tocomply with these new
standards all vehicles sold inCalifornia would have tobefitted
with catalytic afterburner devices ,but that most themodels sold
elsewhere would beable todowithout them .Inthis way theEPA
believas that for themoment itcansatisfy the demands ofenviron­
mental protection while avoiding ,insurmountable economic problems .

-10-
The suggestion bytheEPA that theUSCongress should reconsider
its decision about thereduction ofnitrogen oxide emissions is
very important .The most recent estimate ofthedanger topublic
health ofthese pollutants shows that their 90%reduction by1976
isnolonger justifiable .Itwas precisely this reduction which
posed thegreatest technological problems ,owing totheneed to
use catalytic devices which could not tolerate thepresence of
lead infuels .
10.Community action considered
Although thepreceding chapters show that atmospheric pollution
bylead does notpresent anyimmediate threat topublic health ,
even inlarge towns ,Community action tolimit the lead content
ofpetrol isadvisable for the following reasons :
-since rules designed toreduce the lead content ofpetrol are
being prepared inseveral countries ,and "are even inforce in
some ,and since the discrepancies between these laws areliable
tocreate technical barriers totrade ,action should betaken
immediately toharmonize these divergent rules .
-since thenumber ofcars iscontinually increasing ,there isan
increase intheconsumption ofpetrol andtherefore inthetotal
.volume oflead emitted .Under these circumstances ,inorder to
keep airpollution caused bylead down toitspresent level ,the
lead content ofpetrol should bereduced inthesame proportion ,
asother methods ofreducing lead emissions cculd not beimposed
bylaw soquickly .Lead traps ,forexample ,aresufficiently
perfected toguarantee atleast a70%reduction inemissions
oflead particles throughout their working life ,Amore detailed

-11-
studyhasyettobemadebytheindustryconcernedofthetask
ofproducingasufficientquantityforinstallation inall
newcarsfrom.aspecificdate.
Communitymeasuresdesignedtoreducetheleadinfuelsshould
howeverobservecertaineconomicimperatives ,as.theEuropean
ParliamentindicatedinitsResolutionof6July -1972.They
shouldalsoensurethatthisreduction ,especiallyifimposed
relativelyquickly,doesnotcausetheoilindustrytomodify
thecomposition ofpetrols,inordertomaintaintherequired
quality,insuchawayastoincreasetheemissionsofother
pollutantstoalevelharmfultopublichealth..
Forthesereasons,theCommissionproposesthisDirectivewhich,
as.aninitialstage,providesforareductionoftheleadcontent
ofallqualitiesofpetroltoO.^fgr/1.Thisreductionstill
representsaconsiderable stepforwardfortheCommunityasawhole,
havingregardtothelawsatpresentinforceincertainMember
States.Theproposedlimitsarealsoinlinewiththeabove-men-
tionedResolutionoftheEuropeanParliament .
TheCommissionalsoconsidereditappropriatetofix,asaguide,
alimitingvaluefcrregular-quality petrol,mainlyasapointer
lortilsloa.'*sj>tornpolicyin<thooil -indocidia# '
petrol "blonds.'. . t.

Inviewo^.thepresentregulationsonthismatterintheMemberStates,
theCommissionconsidersthatitshouldnotprovideintermediate
stagesforreachingthefinalvaluesstipulatedinthisDirective.It
intendstherebytoallowMemberStatestotakethemeasuresmost
appropriatetotheirindividualsituationforcomplyingwiththevalues
andtime-limits laiddownintheDirective.
If,atafuturedate,amendmentstoDirective220of20March1970
ontheapproximation ofthelawsoftheMemberStatesonthelimitation
oftheemissionofunburntcarbonmonoxideandhydrocarbons from
sparlcignitionenginesweretoresultinlimitswhichnecessitated the
useofoatalyticafter-burner devicesorintroducedlimitsonthe
emissionofoxidesofnitrogen,lirhichalsorequirethiskindofdevice,
andifthesedevicescouldfunctionwithonlyalead-freepetrol
oronewithaverylowleadcontent,theCommissionwouldtakethe
measuresrequiredto'adaptthisDirectiveaccordingtotheprocedures
laiddown.
Thelimitsnowproposedrepresentafirstimportantandrealisticstep
inthepresentcircumstances undertheCommission'sactionprogramme
forsolvingtheentireproblemofairpollutionfrommotorvehicles.
TheCommissionwouldcertainlyproposeeffectivemeasuresifthestudies
andresearchatpresentbeingconductedintoboththehealthand'
technicalaspectsincollaboration withMemberStatesshowedthatthe
presentlevelsofleadconstitutedathreattopublichealth.Ifsuch
asituationweretoariseinafewyears,withoutnecessitating any
significantreductionintheemissionofotherpollutants,theCommission
couldconsiderusingtheleadtrapsreferredtoabove,whichwould
bythistimehavereachedtheindustrialproductionstage.

-13-
TheCommissionconsidersthatwithinafewyearsandatthelatest
beforetheendof1979i"twillhaveavailableenoughbasicdata
ofascientific,technicalandeconomicnaturetoproposeanoverall
solutiontotheproblemofleadinpetrol.
Tothisenditwillexaminethefollowingaspectsincollaboration
withMemberStatesandinterested bodiesandwiththeaidof
surveysinprogress,orplanned,whichhavebeeninitiatedwith
otherorganisations ,anditwillmakeabiennialreporttothe
Councilon:
-theeffectofthisdirectiveinthefirstinstanceonair,
pollution,onmotordesignandchieflyonvehiclesalready
incirculationaswellasonpetrolproductioninorder
thatanyspecialdifficulties whichcouldariseinsimple
refineriescanbeidentified,
-progressattainedinthedevelopment ofsystemsforthe.
loweringofgaseousemissionfrommotorvehicles,oftechniques
ofpropulsionandofmethodsofproductionoflowpollution
fuels, .
-theevaluationofconcentration ofdifferentpollutants
intheatmosphereofEuropeancitiesandtheeffecton
publichealth.TheCommissionshallconsiderchieflylead
concentration intheatmospherewiththehielpofmea,suring
stationswhichhavebeensetupaspartoftheabove
mentioned scheme.

-14-
THECOUNCIL 0?THEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ,
andinparticular Article 100thereof ;
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ;
Having regard totheopinion oftheEuropean Parliament ;
Having regard tothe opinion ofthe Economic andSocial Committee ;
Whereas thenational laws concerning thecomposition ofpetrol ,andin
particular ,therules governing thelimitation ofthelead content in
motor vehicle petrol ,vary from oneMember State toanother ;whereas
such disparities create barriers tointra-Comrnunity trade ;whereas
such disparities consequently have direct repercussions ontheproper
functioning ofthecommon market ;
Whereas the protection and improvement ofpublic health currently con­
stitutes amajor preoccupation common toall industrialized countries
andpollution caused byproducts emitted inthe exhaust gas ofvehicles
hasreached analarming level owing tothecontinuous increase inthe
density ofmotor traffic ;whereas ,following theintroduction of
measures intheCouncil Directive of20March 1970 designed tocurb
airpollution caused bythe emission ofcarbon monoxide andunburned
hydrocarbons from motor vehicles ,itisnownecessary totackle the
problem oflead particle emissions bysuch vehicles ,thelead in
question deriving from plumbiferous petrol additives acting asan
anti-knock ;
Whereas ,despite the fact that inthepresent state ofscientific
knowledge there isnoevidence toprove that existing concentrations
oflead inthe atmosphere constitute adanger topublic health ,it
isnevertheless necessary toensure that these concentrations donot
increase asaresult ofthegrowing density oftraffic and ,accor­
dingly ,totake precautionary measures for thepurpose oflimiting
thelead content inpetrols ;

-15-
Whereas restrictions limiting thelead content inpetrol toabout
O.^f g/larealready "inforce orinpreparation incertain Member
States ,whilst inothers thetolerated -content iseven higher than
the figure quoted ;whereas itisnecessary accordingly that this Di­
rective beconfined tolaying down definitive values ,without any
stipulations regarding theintermediate stages leading uptotheir
adoption ,thus leaving theMember States themselves free tointroduce
themeasures envisaged ortotake anyother such measures asmay be
most appropriate inadomestic context inorder toconform with the
definitive values within the time limit set bytheDirective ;whereas
these measures may beintroduced bytheMember States prior tothe
expiry ofthe time limit ;
Whereas thefinancial ,economic ,industrial andqualitative effects
ofareduction toO.kO g/lofthelevel oflead inpetrols have de­
monstrated that such areduction ispossible within arelatively
short period without any undue ,repercussions ontheCommunity petro­
leum market oritsstructure ;
Whereas itisalso advisable that anupper guideline value befixed
inrespect ofregular petrol ,pending the outcome ofstudies current­
lybeing undertaken with aview toformulating amore detailed defi­
nition ofthecomposition ofpetrols which will need tobeavailable
over the longer term ; :i... .
V/hereas the design ofanengine and thecomposition ofthepetrol
which itconsumes aredirectly interdependent ;whereas thelead con-,
tent must belimited insuch away astoensure that thepetrol of­
fered ontheCommunity market should ,without anyundue increase in
theproduction cost ,possess the anti-knock qualities necessary to
meet the octane requirements ofengines incurrent use ;whereas ,
pending the outcome ofstudies' currently being undertaken atEuropean
level with the aimofdefining more satisfactory criteria ,itis
sufficient torefer toexisting criteria ,i.e. ,the ."research o.ctane "
rating and the "engine octane' ",,rating ,when defining these anti-knock
qualities ;

Whereas these types ofpetrol will nevertheless still need tobeavaila­
ble until such time asthey are nolonger required tomeet theneeds
ofexisting motor vehicles (i.e. ,until thegradual andcomplete
phasing-out ofthese vehicles ),whereupon newmotor vehicles will come
onto themarket employing adifferent type offuel with lower antir
knock qualities ;
Whereas lead isonly one ofthe constituent elements inthecomposition
ofpetrol ;whereas the reduction ofthis element must not have the
effect ofaggravating the airpollution which would beone ofthemain
consequences 'ofanymodification incomposition ;
Whereas the advance ofknowledge regarding theprotection ofhuman health ,
onthe one hand ,and the development oftechniques ofpropulsion and
thereduction ofengine pollution emission ,onthe other ,might neces­
sitate amendments totheprovisions ofthis Directive ,notably ifsuch
modifications led totheuse ofsystems which were based onacatalytic
process andwhose operational requirements were such that they called
forlead-free petrols orpetrols having lower lead levels than those
currently provided fox*;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE i '
Article 1
For the purpose ofthis Directive s
a)"petrol "means :
any fuel intended for theoperation ofinternal combustion spark -
ignited engines used for thepropulsion ofvehicles ;
b)""premium petrol "means : :
anypetrol with a"research octane "rating ofnotless than 98and
a"motor octane "rating ofnotless than 87;
c)"regular petrol "means :
anypetrol with a"research octane ",rating ofnpt'less than 90.

-17-
Article2
1.Asfrom1January1975,petrolshallbeplacedontheCommunity
internalmarketonlywhereitsleadcompoundcontent,calculated
aslead,doesnotexceed0.40g/l.
2.Asfrom1January1973,regularpetrolshallbeplacedonthe
Communityinternalmarketonlywhereitsleadcontentsdoes
notexceed0.15g/l.Theprovisionsofparagraph1shall
continuetoapplyinthecaseofpremiumpetrol.
3.Asfrom1January1973,intermediate gradepetrolbetx/eenpremium
andregularquantitiesshallbeplacedontheCommunityinternal
marketonlywhereitsleadcompoundcontent,calculatedinterms
oflead,doesnotexoeedtheconcentration ofanequivalent
blendingofthosetwoqualities.
4.As,fromthedateofadoptionofthepresentdirective,the
Commission ,wishingtocontinueitseffortstocurbair
pollutioncausedbymotorvehicles ^willreportbiennially
totheCouncilon:
a)theeffectsofimplementation ofthisdirective:
b)theevolutionofsystemsfortheloweringofomissions
otherthanleadcontentinexhaustgases(l),of
techniquesofpropulsionofvehicles,andofmethods
ofproductionoflowpollutionfuels;
c)theevolutionofconcentration ofdifferentpollutants,
particularly ofleadcontentinatmosphereofEuropean
citiesandtheireffectonpublichealth.
Inaddition,dependingondatagatheredduringtheprogress
ofthesesurveys,theCommissionwillformulate,assoonas•
possible,allnecessaryproposals. ..
Atthelatestbefore1JanuaryI98OtheCommissionwill
presentproposalsforanoverallsolutionoftheproblemof
loadcontentinpetrol. -
(l)CouncilDirectiveno220/70of20March1970.

-lS-
Article3
ThereductionoftheleadcontentinpursuanceofArticle2shallnot
besuchastoloadtoanymodification inthecompositionofthepetrol
whichislikelytoincresesignificantly thequantitiesofotherpollutants
currentlyemittedintheexhaustgas.Attheveryleast,thecomposition
ofthepetrolshallbesuchastoconformwiththelimitsstipulated
inDirectiven°220/70of20March1970.,
Tothisend,theMemberStatesshalltakeallstepsnecessarytoensure
thatmeasurements aremadeinrespectofpollutantsemittedinthe
exhaustgas.Thedatathusobtainedshallbecommunicated tothe
Commission .
Article4.
1.MemberStatesshallnotprohibit,restrictorpreventthemarketing
anduseofapetrolonthegroundsofitsleadcontent:
asfrom1January1976,Therethepetrolinquestionconforms
withtheprovisionsofArticle2(1)ofthisDirective ;
asfrom1January ,wherethepetrolinquestionconforms
withtheprovisionsofArticle2(2)and(3)ofthisDirective.
2.Bywayofderogationfromthefirstsubparagraph ofthepreceding
paragraphIterberStatesshall,priorto1January1978»^c
empoweredtoapplytheprovisionsofArticle2(2)and(3).
Article5
Octaneratingsandtheleadcontentinpetrolshallbemeasuredm
accordancewiththecontrolproceduressetoutinAnnexI.
Article6
WhereaMemberStateestablishes ,onthebasisofananalysisperformed
inaccordancewiththecontrolproceduresdescribedinArticle%that
apetrolfailstoconformwiththerequirements ofArticle2,itshall
thereupontakesuchmeasuresasarenecessarytoensurethatthese
requirements arefulfilled.
Article7
1.MemberStatesshallintroducetheprovisionslaiddovmbylaw,
regulationoradministrative actionwhicharenecessarytocomply
withthisDirectivewithinsixmonthsfromthetimeofnotification
oftheDirectiveandshallforthwithinform -the.Commission
accordingly .

2.Upon notification ofthis Directive ,Member States shall also in­
form theCommission ,allowing sufficient time for thelatter to
make its ownobservations ,ofanysubsequent draft provisions of
anessential nature laid down bylaw ,regulation oradministrative
action ,which they propose toadopt inthe field governed bythe
Directive .
Article 8
This Directive isaddressed tothe Member States .
Done at
For the Council
The President

ANNEXI
REFERENCE METHODS
The"researchoctane"ratingisdeterminedinaccordancewithASTM
(AmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials)standardD2722-7$in
aCFR(Cooperative FuelResearchCommittee)testengine.Theresults
ofindividual measurements shallbeinterpreted onthebasisofthe
methoddescribedinBSstandard^040(1971)«publishedbytheEritish
StandardsInstitution .
The"engineoctane"ratingisdeterminedinaccordancewithASTMstan­
dardD27£>-7TintheCFRengine.Theresultsofindividualmeasure­
mentsshallbeinterpreted onthebasisofthemethoddescribedinBS
standardkOkO(1971)tpublishedbytheBritishStandardsInstitution,
Theleadcontentinthepetrolshallbemeasuredinaccordancewiththe
controlprocedurelaiddowninEuropeanStandardproposalPrEN13of
6December1972("Methodformeasuringtheleadcontentinpetrols")
oftheEuropeanStandardization Committee (ESC).Theresultsofin­
dividualmeasurements shallbeinterpreted onthebasisofthemethod
describedinBSstandardbOkO(1971)»publishedbytheBritishStandards
Institution .
Thepetrolsamplesusedforthepurposep£thesemeasurement ?sfteil^.be
takenfromordinaryfillingstations.