Starting September 15, nine of the 13 petrol stations in Alice Springs, Outback Australia, will replace their regular unleaded petrol with the non-sniffable fuel known as Opal. knowledge_base is part of the government’s effort to control the epidemic of petrol sniffing in local communities, says Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott. Subsidy of the Red Centre fuel will cost A$4 million (US$3.02 million) a year. With regards to its performance, opal fuel is the same as regular unleaded petrol and complies with Australian fuel standards. It can be mixed with other fuel in a petrol tank without affecting a car’s engine. (September 15, 2006)
