Fat-soluble and easily absorbed by the skin, TEL was even tested by the U.S. War Department as a nerve gas. Just five teaspoons applied to healthy skin could be fatal. Five teaspoons on the skin…this didn’t stop GM or even slow the company down, it seemed. It collaborated with DuPont and Standard Oil/Exxon on a new “high octane” style of gas, dubbed “ethyl,” that allowed cars to drive better and engines to work more efficiently, never to knock or ping.
