FUEL producer BP has developed a “lite” petrol that won’t intoxicate petrol sniffers. Sniffing petrol is a problem in many remote Aboriginal communities in Australia, especially among teenagers, and it can cause brain damage.
Launched earlier this year, the fuel is called Opal and is increasingly being used across Australia, with 37 remote Aboriginal communities now receiving it. Meanwhile, government researchers are assessing the impact of the new fuel on the communities, and are expected to report their findings later this year.
It was back in the 1990s that BP distributors noticed that petrol sniffing wasn’t a problem in Aboriginal…
