Ethanol is Safe in Soil and Groundwater


Ethanol is non-toxic, water soluble and is the most harmless and biodegradable component of gasoline. In fact, ethanol occurs naturally during the fermentation of organic matter.

When gasoline is spilled on land or in water, ethanol is the first component to quickly, safely and naturally degrade. More important, the presence of ethanol in gasoline means the reduced presence of other more toxic components such as benzene—so gasoline spills are less threatening to the environment.