Lead Emissions at General Aviation Airports
Land Use IssuesAircraft, just like automobiles, produce pollutants in their exhaust. Unlike automobiles, General Aviation piston aircraft are still allowed to use leaded fuel (av gas) and among other things, they emit lead. Lead is a carcinogen and there is no safe level of lead ingestion. Jet engines emit sulfur. The FAA’s own environmental scientists confirm that jet fuel produces over eleven toxic chemicals. Additionally, airports are sites known to accumulate other toxic chemicals that effect the environment. People living around airports deserve to know what their toxic exposures are, and aviation operators need to be held responsible for mitigation of its effects.
Lead Emissions Posts
Information on the Lead Emissions at General Aviation Airports
In July of 2011 Miranda et al. published a study (Miranda 2011 Study) analyzing blood lead levels of children living around airports in six counties of North Carolina. Their results suggest “that children living within 500 m of an airport at which planes use avgas have higher blood lead levels than other children. This apparent effect of avgas on blood lead levels was evident also among children living within 10,000m of airports.” This post outlines aviation’s dirty little secret in relation to airports in French Prairie, Oregon, and beyond.
News Coverage
Aviation Fuel's Toxic Lead Emissions Draws Lawsuit Against EPA
March 12, 2012
Environmental Group Sues EPA To Get The Lead Out Of Aviation Gasoline
March 7, 2012
Conservation Group Pressures EPA to Get The Lead Out of Aviation Fuel
May 26, 2011