Automotive developments late in the twentieth century often seem to pit government regulations against technology and the consumer's pocketbook. A case in point is the catalytic converter, but, surprisingly, technical advances have met increasingly stringent standards at reasonable costs to automobile owners. In the 1970s, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, along with other federal and state agencies, developed a set of strict emission-control standards (the Clean Air Act and others) to be met by car manufacturers by 1980.

As of the early 1980s, all new cars sold in the U.S. have had catalytic converters. The catalytic converter reduces the amount of pollutants in exhaust gases. The exhaust flows through the converter that contains beads coated with metals that act as catalysts by reacting with hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and converting them to water and carbon dioxide that can be eliminated with less harm to the...