Americas News
Fuel Additive Linked to U.S. Wildlife Damage
A fuel additive is suspected of having caused hundreds of bird deaths in the San Francisco Bay area, San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Those working on the clean-up operation suspect an as yet unidentified substance as being fuel additive polyisolbutylene or a synthetic rubber.
The substance has coated birds in the area, meaning they are unable to find food as normal and are dying from the cold.
"It's highly likely it's a man-made product, which means we've had a breach in a pipeline or someone intentionally fouled the East Bay," said International Bird Rescue's Barbara Callahan.
Polyisobutylene is added to fuels to help reduce engine wear, oxidation, and the build up of deposits, the report noted, adding that a spill of the additive on the southwest coast of England in 2013 was said the have led to the deaths of 4,000 sea birds.
The U.S. Coast Guard was reported to have flown over the bay but did not find evidence of an oil spill.
"While on its face, this substance seems very similar to reports from the U.K. two years ago, we won't know definitively until lab tests are completed," said Callahan.
In November the fuel additive industry was said to be among potential beneficiaries of 2015 Emissions Control Area rules, as changing practices were said offer an incentive for innovation.
