Unleaded petrol safety worries?

Question

When I was filling up my car recently with unleaded petrol I was more aware than usual of the smell of petrol whilst I was doing it. I am not sure if this is because I put more in than usual and because I had a slight sore throat at the time.

I looked at a MSDS for Shell unleaded petrol and it says the chronic effects are "Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause cancer."

Obviously when you fill up you have to breath in air at some point so aren't you bound to inhale some of the vapour ?

Answer 1

Iv'e noticed this when filling up (and i fill the tank every time)

I'm now Diesel and it's no where near as bad!!!

But the vapours from unleaded are strong i found it burning my nose!!

Answer 2

You breath in very little fumes when your pumping. Gasoline will be absorbed by your skin so it must be washed off quickly. Also spilling in an enclosed volume will result in stronger fumes which can be explosive and cause a person to breath in more concentrated vapors. The exposure to high concentrations for extended periods or repeated periods will result in cancer eventually. Nothing to worry about unless you spill some on you or a breathing in concentrated vapors.

A number of food additives and dyes will result in cancer if extreme doses are taken, but that is thousands of times more than anyone would actually consume.

Answer 3

Simple answer is to get rid of the car and get a diesel.