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Is lead pollution from airplanes really a problem?
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Yes, this is a serious problem with serious human and wildlife health impacts. Lead dust from aviation fuel is extremely harmful.
It can no longer be denied that lead pollution from planes is a public health and environmental crisis, despite attempts by aviation proponents to cast doubt and delay. Not all planes use leaded fuel, but the small piston-engine planes that use BDU and other local airports still do. A link between regional airport traffic and the blood lead levels of children living nearby was scientifically established in the 2021 study of the impacts from Reid-Hillview airport in Santa Clara County, CA. The peer-reviewed study found that children living downwind from the Reid-Hillview airport had higher blood lead levels, with increases of .40 micrograms per deciliter, over children living upwind from the airport. For context, lead levels detected during the peak of the Flint Water Crisis were between .35 and .45 micrograms per deciliter over baseline. However, Flint Michigan immediately stopped resident exposure to lead-contaminated drinking water and has since replaced the lead-lined pipes. In contrast, exposure to lead from aviation fuel continues unabated at small airports around the United States, and there is no plan or timetable for banning leaded aviation fuel. |
In October of 2023, the U.S. EPA issued an endangerment finding stating that “emissions of lead from aircraft that operate on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act.” According to the World Health Organization, “The neurological and behavioral effects of lead are believed to be irreversible. There is no known safe blood lead concentration.
Lead testing has not yet been conducted around BDU. However, in the Rock Creek neighborhood at the west end of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) runway in Broomfield, only 13 miles from Boulder, residents, including an infant, have documented cases
of elevated blood lead levels. Additional studies in the areas surrounding Centennial Airport also show positive tests on playgrounds, in parks, and on other surfaces.
“When it comes to our children the science is clear, exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions to air in the country.”
95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted on burning, and the resulting nanoparticles are too small to be easily filtered by pollution control devices. The tiny size of these particles makes them particularly absorbable by and toxic to living tissue. Source: CDC Report “Exposures to Lead and Other Metals at an Aircraft Repair and Flight School Facility”.
Lead is a known serious health risk to all animal and human life. Exposure to lead is particularly harmful to young children and pregnant women. Lead exposure can cause lifelong disadvantages for children and developing fetuses. It leads to lower IQ and has been linked to antisocial behavior as well as reproductive, heart, and other health problems.
Lead testing has not yet been conducted around BDU. However, in the Rock Creek neighborhood at the west end of the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (RMMA) runway in Broomfield, only 13 miles from Boulder, residents, including an infant, have documented cases
of elevated blood lead levels. Additional studies in the areas surrounding Centennial Airport also show positive tests on playgrounds, in parks, and on other surfaces.
“When it comes to our children the science is clear, exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions to air in the country.”
95% of the lead in aviation fuel is emitted on burning, and the resulting nanoparticles are too small to be easily filtered by pollution control devices. The tiny size of these particles makes them particularly absorbable by and toxic to living tissue. Source: CDC Report “Exposures to Lead and Other Metals at an Aircraft Repair and Flight School Facility”.
Lead is a known serious health risk to all animal and human life. Exposure to lead is particularly harmful to young children and pregnant women. Lead exposure can cause lifelong disadvantages for children and developing fetuses. It leads to lower IQ and has been linked to antisocial behavior as well as reproductive, heart, and other health problems.
Is it true that leaded fuel is going to be phased out?
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It will be a very long time before leaded aviation fuel is truly gone, if ever.
The FAA currently has no plan and no timetable for phasing out or banning leaded fuel. The recent EPA endangerment finding does not compel action by the FAA. In the 25 years since lead was banned from automotive fuel, the FAA has tried and failed to provide unleaded aviation fuel, so their record is not good. And, providing unleaded fuel is not the same as phasing out leaded fuel. The truth is that unless and until there is a nationwide ban on leaded aviation fuel, some planes flying in and out of airports like ours will be burning leaded fuel over our heads. |
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At the time of this writing (January 2024), use of unleaded aviation fuel is purely voluntary. Our airport may be able to obtain and sell unleaded fuel, but the FAA requires BDU to also continue to sell leaded fuel. Unleaded fuel costs about $1 to $1.50 more per gallon than leaded fuel. You
can imagine pulling up to the gas pump and seeing the cheap fuel next to the fuel that costs an additional $1 or more per gallon. How many pilots will choose the more expensive unleaded fuel, when many of them still deny that lead is a problem?
At airports where unleaded fuel is currently available for small piston-engine planes, sales are low. This means nearly all planes flying in and out of small airports like ours are still buying and using leaded fuel.
What’s more, the aviation industry continues to this day to advocate for the continued use of leaded fuel because it is cheaper and available nationwide for all fleets. Any switch to unleaded fuel will be slow and incomplete for as long as leaded fuel is still an option. The aviation industry
will fight fiercely against any ban.
can imagine pulling up to the gas pump and seeing the cheap fuel next to the fuel that costs an additional $1 or more per gallon. How many pilots will choose the more expensive unleaded fuel, when many of them still deny that lead is a problem?
At airports where unleaded fuel is currently available for small piston-engine planes, sales are low. This means nearly all planes flying in and out of small airports like ours are still buying and using leaded fuel.
What’s more, the aviation industry continues to this day to advocate for the continued use of leaded fuel because it is cheaper and available nationwide for all fleets. Any switch to unleaded fuel will be slow and incomplete for as long as leaded fuel is still an option. The aviation industry
will fight fiercely against any ban.
Is it true that there is a pilot shortage?
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