Zimbabwe will not meet the January deadline set by the United Nations to phase out leaded fuel due to logistical problems, an official said on Tuesday.

"Due to some logistic problems the phasing out of leaded petrol might be delayed," said Energy and Power Development Minister Michael Nyambuya.

However he said despite the delay, the country was already using unleaded fuel. He said the current stocks of leaded fuel on the market would be sold until they ran out.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the remaining region to phase out leaded fuel, with South Africa expected to be the last country to switch to unleaded fuel.

The phaseout follows a pledge made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development by 49 Sub-Saharan African countries in 2002 to phase out leaded fuel by January 1, 2006, as part of a wider objective to improve the continent's health and environment.

Lead is associated with a wide range of health problems, including damage to the brains of babies and young children.

More than 30 countries globally are still using leaded petrol and those without plans to phase out lead include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cuba, Iraq, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Source: Xinhua