The Science of the total environment
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Sci. Total Environ. · Dec 1987
Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) in petrol: the toxicological issues.
Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT), when used as an octane improver in petrol, leads to increased airborne levels of manganese in the form of Mn3O4. The potential health effects of increased airborne manganese are considered in this paper. ⋯ The major toxicological effects of manganese, observed after long occupational exposure, are on the lung (manganese pneumonia) and the central nervous system (manganism). The small increase in airborne manganese from the use of MMT in petrol is 3-4 orders of magnitude lower than the level required to produce toxic symptoms of manganese exposure, even in areas of high traffic density, and no health risk from the use of MMT is likely.