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As a follow-up to my column last week on hucksters trying to sell stuff to boost your gas mileage, I got this e-mail from Mark Wert, assistant business editor at The (Cincinnati) Enquirer, about what his team learned:

Did you know the [Environmental Protection Agency], by federal law, has been testing products that purport to boost gas mileage for 34 years? They've tested [more than] 100 products, and not one has substantially boosted mileage. (A few provide what EPA terms "very minor" improvement.) Worse, some of these products can damage your engine -- and void whatever warranty you may have. They also might boost your car's emissions -- a problem for those of us who live in areas with mandatory testing due to air pollution problems.

In fact, the Federal Trade Commission Web site warns about specific kinds of claims:

• "This gas-saving product improves fuel economy by 20 percent."
  Claims usually tout savings ranging from 12 to 25 percent. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated or tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices and has not found any product that significantly improves gas mileage. In fact, some "gas-saving" products may damage a car's engine or cause substantial increases in exhaust emissions.

The gas-saving products on the market fall into clearly defined categories. Although the EPA has not tested or evaluated every product, it has tried to examine at least one product in each category... 

• "After installing your product on my car, I got an extra 4 miles [6.4 kilometers] per gallon [3.8 liters]."
  Many ads feature glowing testimonials by satisfied customers. Yet, few consumers have the ability or the equipment to test for precise changes in gas mileage after installing a gas-saving product. Many variables affect fuel consumption, including traffic, road and weather conditions and the car's condition.

For example, one consumer sent a letter to a company praising its "gas-saving" product. At the time the product was installed, however, the consumer also had received a complete engine tune-up -- a fact not mentioned in the letter. The entire increase in gas mileage attributed to the "gas-saving" product may well have been the result of the tune-up alone. But from the ad, other consumers could not have known that.

• "This gas-saving device is approved by the federal government."
  No government agency endorses gas-saving products for cars. The most that can be claimed in advertising is that the EPA has reached certain conclusions about possible gas savings by testing the product or by evaluating the manufacturer's own test data. If the seller claims that its product has been evaluated by the EPA, ask for a copy of the EPA report, or check www.epa.gov for information. In some instances, false claims of EPA testing or approval have been made.

As Mark mentioned, the EPA has tested more than 100 products. Here is a list of some of the products and devices tested:

The following list categorizes various types of "gas-saving" products, explains how they're used and gives product names. Those with asterisks may save measurable, but small, amounts of gas. All others have been found not to increase fuel economy.

Air Bleed Devices. These devices bleed air into the carburetor. They usually are installed in the Positive Crankcase Ventilation line or as a replacement for idle-mixture screws. [See the FTC Web site for the specific products evaluated by the EPA.]

Vapor Bleed Devices. These devices are similar to the air bleed devices, except that induced air is bubbled through a container of a water and anti-freeze mixture, usually located in the engine compartment. [...]

Liquid Injection. These products add liquid into the fuel/air intake system and not directly into the combustion chamber. [...]

Ignition Devices. These devices are attached to the ignition system or are used to replace original equipment or parts. [...]

Fuel Line Devices (heaters or coolers). These devices heat the fuel before it enters the carburetor. Usually, the fuel is heated by the engine coolant or by the exhaust or electrical system. [...]

Fuel Line Devices (magnets). These magnetic devices, clamped to the outside of the fuel line or installed in the fuel line, claim to change the molecular structure of gasoline. [...]

Fuel Line Devices (metallic). Typically, these devices contain several dissimilar metals that are installed in the fuel line, supposedly causing ionization of the fuel. [...]

Mixture Enhancers (under the carburetor). These devices are mounted between the carburetor and intake manifold and supposedly enhance the mixing or vaporization of the air/fuel mixture. [...]

Mixture Enhancers (others). These devices make some general modifications to the vehicle intake system. [...]

Internal Engine Modifications. These devices make physical or mechanical function changes to the engine. [...]

Accessory Drive Modifiers. These devices reduce power to specific auto accessories. [...]

Fuels and Fuel Additives. These materials are added to the gas tank. [...]

Oils and Oil Additives. Usually these materials are poured into the crankcase. [...]

Driving Habit Modifiers. These are lights or sound devices to tell the driver to reduce acceleration or to shift gears. [...]

Still for Sale

My wife and I noticed something while riding bikes through the neighborhood last night. For the first time in years, homes that were put up for sale months ago are still sitting there, unsold.

Now part of the issue is that our neighbors have lost their minds when it comes to their asking price. But it turns out that this is happening nationwide. Here is a story from The Washington Post.

Still, the National Association of Realtors says sales of existing homes rose in March -- even though the national median existing-home price had risen more than 7 percent from its March 2005 figure.

The Boston Globe and the (South Florida) Sun-Sentinel also have stories about homes sitting on the market much longer than they used to. In Boston, it takes a month longer to sell a home now than it did in 2001. In Palm Beach County, Fla., it takes two or three months longer now to sell a home than it used to.    

Bird Flu Prep

A friend of mine who works for the local health department told me this weekend that his agency is cross-training employees in preparation for an epidemic that might keep a third of the staff out of the office. It made me think that I have not heard of one newsroom that has taken on similar training.

This week, the federal government said if bird flu, or another super strain, broke out, up to 40 percent of the national workforce could be off the job.

My friend tells me that part of his agency's plan is to figure out how to get more people to telecommute -- do their work from home online.

The federal government's advice included telling employers to have workers remain at least three feet apart and try to avoid personal contact such as office meetings -- use the phone or teleconference instead.

More resources:

• Pandemicflu.gov
• Key Facts
• Infection in Humans (updated April 24)
• Current Situation (updated April 24)
• Questions & Answers (updated April 24)

Follow the birds with an MSNBC online interactive project.

Great Use of Maps

I want to point you toward two very good stories that make wonderful use of online mapping technology. WTHR-13 in Indianapolis looked into why so many tornado sirens don't work. They also mapped where the sirens -- and the holes -- are located in a nine-county coverage area.

The New York Times used mapping technology to plot out murders that occurred between 2003 and 2005. The mapping turned up some interesting new insights into crime in that city.

Between 2003 and 2005, 1,662 murders were committed in New York. Men and boys were responsible for 93 percent of the murders; their victims tended to be other men and boys; and in more than half the cases, the killer and victim knew each other.

In addition, an interesting, though uncommon, group of murders involved a handful of victims who died of injuries one or more years after being stabbed, shot, beaten or burned and were counted as murder victims in the year in which they died.