Manila, February 1, 2000 � Children in the Philippine capital and even in some rural areas have suffered a loss of at least five IQ points due to exposure to leaded gasoline, a cabinet member warned yesterday.

Environment Secretary Antonio Cerilles told an Asian Development Bank (ADB)-sponsored conference on leaded fuel exposure had caused children in Metropolitan Manila to lose an average five IQ points with those directly exposed to vehicle emissions losing even more.

The problem extended to rural areas where 12.4 million children are estimated to have lost an average of seven IQ points due to lead exposure, he added.

Effective April, the Philippines will phase out leaded gasoline in Metropolitan Manila which accounts for 45 percent of gasoline sales, and by the start of 2001, will phase it out nationwide.

Cerilles said the estimated cost of premature deaths due to lead exposure amounted to 2.8 billion peso (68.3 million dollars) while the total cost of damage including lower intelligence caused by lead exposure, amounted to 3.18 billion pesos.

"The elimination of leaded gasoline will give the country substantial economic benefits � in terms of reduced hospitalization and other health care costs and increased earnings of children that have avoided the detrimental effects of lead poisoning," he said.

Car owners will also benefits as the switch to unleaded fuel will induce less wear on exhaust system components and spark plugs and could also increase engine life by as much as 150 percent, as the experience in the United States had shown, he said.

Energy Secretary Mario Tiaoqui also quoted a World Bank study as saying due to lower health expenditure, improved efficiency and better engine performance, countries can generate savings of five to 10 times the cost of switching to unleaded fuel.

Congressman Heherson Alvarez, a member of the House committees on energy and the environment, added the Department of Health said the country saved half a billion pesos in health costs last year due to the reduced use of leaded fuel.

Unleaded gasoline was launched in this country in 1994.

Cerilles and other officials also brushed aside fears older vehicles could not use unleaded fuel, saying experiences in other countries showed such vehicles would not be damaged unless they ran at high speed while carrying huge loads for extended periods.

The officials also said phasing out leaded gasoline was only the first step and the government would implement more stringent inspection of vehicle emission, cut aromatic content and benzene content of unleaded gasoline by 2003 and cut sulfur content of diesel fuel from 2001 to 2003.