Though there hasn't been any research done on corn allergy and ethanol, and I suspect there won't be. Those of us who are very sensitive to corn should at least be aware of its use and where problems may arrise.
Consumer Reports October 2006 edition has a huge article about Ethanol (& E85) and its viability as a gasoline replacement. The article brings up a lot of good points which makes me think that it won't last long and soon they'll find another cheaper way of alternative fuels. (Soy-based products seem to be more economically viable at this point) I highly recommend reading this article as it is very informative, and will make you mad at where our tax dollars and incentives are actually going.
In the meantime, those who have to endure living near Ethanol plants won't be having much fun. I know from personal experience that being within at least 10 miles of an Ethanol plant can set off my allergies. If you want to avoid living near an ethanol plant, here is a list of plant locations where you're not going to want to move (or at least watch to which area of town you move). Click Here for a map of Ethanol refinery locations.
States in order of the number of refineries per State:
Iowa with a whopping 31.
Nebraska has 21.
Minnesota has 17.
South Dakoka has 14.
Kansas has 9.
Illinois has 7.
Indiana and Wisconsin are tied with 6 each.
North Dakota has 5.
California, Colorado, Michigan are tied with 4 each.
Texas has 3.
Kentucky and Ohio are tied with 2 each.
Arizona, Georgia, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Wyoming are tied with 1 each.
The Consumer Reports article also states which states have the most E85 stations open to the public. Which means the more E85, the more potential problems with Ethanol (Corn) being in the air you breathe, let alone the air when you're filling up.
Minnesota has over 200 stations.
Illinois has 101-200 stations.
Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota have 41-100 stations.
Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, Wisconsin have 21-40 stations.
Kansas, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas have 11-20 stations.
Colorado, Ohio, Nevada have 6-10 stations.
Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennesee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming have 1-5 stations.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont currently have none.
Also keep your eyes open for Ethanol in your regular gasoline, as according to the Consumer Reports article, "Ethanol is now blended into 40% of all U.S. gasoline."
Other interesting links about Ethanol:
EPA proposed rule for implementation of renewable fuels standard. (aka Forcing Ethanol to be mixed with all gasoline)
Scarcity of Corn Fuel
Redesigning Crops to Harvest Fuel
Ethanol takes more energy than it produces.
Use of Corn as Fuel may drive up Food Prices (which would be fine for us, since we don't buy foods with corn in it anyway. Though I do wonder if this might make our foods then cheaper?)
New Ethanol Plant - Missouri
New Ethanol Plant - Kansas
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