Lead and Aviation Impacted Communities: a Tiny Particle, a Huge Public Safety Issue

Most people nationwide are completely unaware of this danger in our environment, yet the harm from leaded aviation fuel (avgas) persists. Lead particles may be invisible to the naked eye–but their harmful effects are clear and evident. 

Based on fuel sales from 2024 alone, Front Range communities were exposed to over 10,000 pounds of microparticle-sized lead exhaust, which can pass through the blood-brain barrier and become permanently embedded in the bodies of those unfortunate enough to be located within a two-mile radius of a general aviation (GA) airport. There are five airports in the Denver Metro area alone that have hundreds of thousands of annual operations collectively and impact possibly tens of thousands of people, if not more.

Children are most at risk since they absorb much more lead than adults. Children’s bodies substitute lead for critical components like calcium and iron as they grow. Test results around these GA airports in Colorado show impacts on the children in these communities similar to young people poisoned by the water crisis in Flint Michigan. These irreversible impacts have lifelong consequences, adversely affecting kids' development, learning, behavior and even lifetime earnings. Even small amounts of exposure can cause permanent cognitive and behavior damage, including lower IQ, learning disabilities, attention disorders, and impulsivity and aggression. 

On August 27, a panel of experts presented a conversation on some of these issues at eTown in Boulder, Colorado. The following is a recording of the conversation.