Australian govt moves to curb petrol-sniffing

Australia is fighting rampant petrol-sniffing in the Outback by extending the availability of a less harmful fuel as part of a major campaign to improve Aborigines’ health, the prime minister said today.

Opal, a government-subsidised petrol modified by BP Australia to remove most of the chemicals that create the euphoria that sniffers seek, has been introduced since 2006 to 108 petrol stations servicing Outback Aboriginal communities as a safer alternative to unleaded petrol.