Toxic Monopoly: Professor Bill Kovarik on the hidden history of leaded gasoline episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 25, 2026 · 1H 15M

Toxic Monopoly: Professor Bill Kovarik on the hidden history of leaded gasoline

from Misaligned Markets

Professor William Kovarik, a Professor of Communication at Radford University, discusses the history of tetraethyl lead (TEL) in gasoline from 1923 until 2021. The decision to put lead in gasoline is among one of the worst public health disasters in human history, impacting the cognitive function, mental health, and quality of life of millions of people. The UN estimates that phasing out leaded gasoline has saved the world $2.45 trillion annually. Kovarik's research was invaluable to uncovering what the gas and oil industry knew about TEL's harms and why it was selected as an anti-knock agent.Learn more about Misaligned Markets and become a member: https://misaligned.markets/about📜Episode show notes: https://misaligned.markets/podcast/ep-3/📚 Support the pod by purchasing books referenced in the episode (bookshop.org affilate link): https://bookshop.org/lists/the-hidden-history-of-leaded-gasoline💵Tip me: https://misaligned.markets/#/portal/support

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 25, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Toxic Monopoly: Professor Bill Kovarik on the hidden history of leaded gasoline

0:00 1:15:37

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Misaligned Markets?

This episode is 1 hour and 15 minutes long.

When was this Misaligned Markets episode published?

This episode was published on August 25, 2026.

Can I download this Misaligned Markets episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!