Where Am I: Lead and Lead Compounds Guidance Document
Organolead compounds are compounds that contain lead and carbon and have at least one lead-carbon bond. Only two types of organolead compounds have found large-scale commercial applications: tetramethyllead (TML) and tetraethyllead (TEL). Both TML and TEL were once manufactured in large quantities in the United States because they were used extensively in automotive gasoline. However, due to strict regulations that have essentially outlawed the use lead as an additive in gasoline, the commercial production or importation of TML and TEL in the United States is now greatly reduced. Special use of lead as an additive in certain types of fuels, such as fuels for certain racing cars and aircraft, is still permitted, however.