Hillsboro City Council Votes Unanimously in Favor of HIO Transition to Unleaded Aviation Fuel

From our friends at Oregon Aviation Watch:

Miki Barnes
July 27, 2026

We are thankful to report that on 7/21/2026, members of the Hillsboro City Council voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 2930 urging the Port of Portland to expedite the transition to unleaded aviation gasoline at the Hillsboro Airport (HIO).

As explained in the Staff Report prepared by Sustainability and Resiliency Manager, Robin Straughan, and Government Relations Manager, Ariel Nelson:

• Resolution 2930 urges practicable and expeditious action to encourage and facilitate the transition to unleaded avgas by applicable jurisdictions – primarily the Port of Portland and the Federal Aviation Administration.
  
  The City of Hillsboro is working with public health experts at the Oregon Health Authority and Washington County Public Health to provide updated information via City communication channels to raise awareness about the risks of lead exposure from multiple sources and how community members can access resources for blood and soil testing. Hillsboro has also engaged an environmental consultant to conduct lead testing at City facilities near the airport that serve impacted populations.

During the meeting, staff explained that “children and pregnant people are predominantly affected by lead poisoning because it impacts the developing brain.” 

Staff, along with Councillors Kipperlyn Sinclair and Olivia Alcaire described the resolution as a first step.

In the words of Councillor Alcaire, “Lead is a real problem. Affecting children’s health is a real problem…There is a lot more protection that needs to happen and addressing of health issues that have been impacting people for a long time.”

Councillor Alcaire emphasized that both the City and the Port should actively engage in notifying the public about the dangers of aviation lead. She also stated that residents should be informed about visiting certain areas of the City or attending events such as the airshow that may potentially put them at increased risk of aviation lead exposure.

In response to questions from Councillor Sinclair, staff said plans are underway to engage in air and soil testing at several sites: the Brookwood Library located adjacent to HIO, Hidden Creek Community Center (0.85 miles from HIO), and Tyson Recreational Center (0.95 miles from HIO).
Other concerns addressed by Councillor Sinclair focused on availability of multi-language informational materials related to HIO lead poisoning and lead testing. She also asked if the Port of Portland will provide public signage along the outer perimeter warning of the dangers of lead poisoning. Responses from staff indicated that the Port has not addressed this issue.

Regarding the availability of free BLL testing for area residents, staff said that the Washington County Public Health Department recommendation is for residents to contact their health care providers. Options for people who do not currently have a provider are still being explored.

Council President Rob Harris asked for quarterly staff reports to the council on Port progress in providing unleaded fuel. He also voiced an interest in looking into the possibility of transitioning to unleaded avgas earlier than 2030.

Councillor Case expressed appreciation to Robin Straughan and Ariel Nelson for the dedicated work they have put forth on developing this resolution.

Oregon Aviation Watch is grateful to City Staff and the Hillsboro City Council for their respective roles in adopting this resolution.

Community Member Comments in Support of the Resolution

Below are excerpts from some of the testimony submitted by residents who spoke in support of the resolution.

Katie Riley, Ed.D Assistant Professor Emerita. OHSU Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

I wish to add my support to Resolution 2930 to ask that the City of Hillsboro require the Hillsboro Airport convert their fuel source to unleaded fuel. A study published in August 2024 in Environmental Health Perspectives found that children who live near an airport had higher blood lead levels, on average, than those who lived farther away. The results were the same when researchers accounted for the chance that the source of lead exposure was the child’s house, not the nearby planes. Although lead was removed from vehicle gasoline decades ago, many piston-engine aircraft still use leaded gas…The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined that lead emissions from aircraft endanger the public’s health. Childhood lead poisoning has been associated with serious developmental delays and brain damage. We do not want to have lead exposure poisoning Hillsboro's children.

Mark Erwert - Hillsboro Resident

My family has called Hillsboro home for 26 years, and we have raised three children here. I strongly support Resolution No. 2930 and the fastest practical transition away from leaded aviation fuel at Hillsboro Airport.

This issue is personal to our family. When a family member was tested, lead was detected in their blood. Although that test could not identify the source, it made the dangers of environmental lead exposure very real to us.

No family should have to wonder whether avoidable lead emissions in their community contributed to their child’s exposure. Please adopt Resolution No. 2930 and continue pressing the Port of Portland and the FAA to transition to unleaded aviation fuel as quickly as safely possible.

Blaine Ackley

“I have been an elementary, middle, and high school teacher, school principle and university professor. From my experience, children who have been affected by environmental factors face an uphill battle in school academics and behavior. One of the most egregious of these factors is lead getting into their blood streams and going directly to their brains. There is no safe amount of lead for humans and lead poisoning can affect people’s motor agility, their ability to process information, their attention span, and their socio-emotional control in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. In adults, lead can affect the functioning of our internal organs and our mental processing and behavior.”

James Lubischer, MD (Retired Pediatrician)

“The unleaded fuel G100UL is FAA approved for use in 100% of fixed-wing airplanes.” Dr. Lubischer went on to explain that FAA approval for the use of G100UL in helicopters is expected to be issued soon. “So presently, 97.5% of all piston engine aircraft have received approval to use G100UL.”

“With the prohibition of the lead-containing fuel 100LL, HIO will no longer be a source of lead poisoning for the children that live within a 1/2 mile of HIO”

Teresa Tse

"…about 5 to 6 studies have shown that children that live or go to school near airports where the lead-containing fuel 100 Low Lead is used had higher blood lead levels.  Any lead in a child is damaging to their brains, no safe blood lead level has ever been shown.

Please have the Port of Portland stop using 100 low lead fuel and stop poisoning the children that live near the Hillsboro Airport.”

David Barnes

“HIO has a broad footprint, one that reaches well beyond City boundaries. For decades, residents of Hillsboro and surrounding communities have been relentlessly subjected to aviation lead emissions on a daily basis. You as elected officials are in a unique position to advocate for the health and well-being of your constituents who as a direct result of HIO aviation activity are routinely forced to breath lead-contaminated air.”

Karna Sheth

“There’s a reason why we don’t use leaded fuel in our cars anymore…Hope you will make this the first step in moving us away from this fuel.”

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on Airport Lead Pollution

The Oregon Health Authority has recently added information on aviation lead poisoning to their website. To access the OHA site click here.
Below is a section on blood lead level testing recommendations:

A simple blood lead test can be performed to see if an individual has been exposed to lead. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), no safe blood lead level in children has been identified, and even low levels of exposure can cause well-documented adverse health effects and complications. 

Families that live near airports should consider asking their child's pediatrician or medical practitioner for a blood lead test. Healthcare providers should ask parents or guardians about proximity to an airport when using the Oregon Lead Screening Questionnaire. Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recommends health care providers test children for lead exposure that live within close proximity to an airport.  

Children enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) must receive a blood lead test at 12 and 24 months, or before 6 years of age if never tested. If you are enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and need help finding a medical provider, visit this website for more information: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/hsd/ohp/pages/find-providers.aspx

If your child's blood lead level result is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or higher, your local public health authority will work with you to find out where the lead exposure came from. Most children who are tested for lead have blood lead levels below this amount, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls the blood lead reference value (BLRV). Children in Oregon with lead levels above the BLRV are most often exposed to lead through lead paint and dust in pre-1978 housing, from an adult's hobby or occupation that involves lead, and from imported consumer products that are contaminated with lead. 

Adults that work with lead should talk to their employer about blood lead testing or visit an occupational health clinic. Oregon Occupational Safety and Health (OR-OSHA) regulates lead in the workplace to ensure employees limit their exposure. 

How can I find more information about avgas? 

• - Lead Aviation Fuel and the Environment (FAA)
• - EPA Determines that Lead Emissions from Aircraft Engines Cause or Contribute to Air Pollution (EPA)
• - Preventing Work-related Lead Exposure (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health)
• - Bringing Unleaded Aviation Fuel to Hillsboro Airport (Port of Portland)