“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on [10/18/23] issued a final determination declaring that emissions from aircraft that use leaded fuel pose a danger to public health, following years of study. Commercial aircraft use jet fuel, which does not contain lead. Aircraft that do use leaded fuel are typically small piston-engine planes that carry two – 10 passengers” – Reuters
“Growing opposition from airport neighbors on both coasts may help spur a broader transition away from leaded fuel…studies have linked pollution caused by leaded fuel to chronic illness and developmental problems.” – The Wall Street Journal
“The lead rains down on the community through droplets of unburned fuel and exhaust.” – CBS News
Children Near Airports are Exposed to Unsafe Lead Emissions
On 7/8/22 Congress held a hearing titled “Toxic Air: How Leaded Aviation Fuel Is Poisoning America’s Children“
“A study commissioned by the County of Santa Clara on lead exposure risks for children living in the area around Reid-Hillview Airport in East San José found that the continued use of leaded aviation fuel has contributed to increased blood lead levels, particularly for those within a half-mile of the facility.
The peer-reviewed study found that children living downwind from the 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.” – County of Santa Clara
Although our airport isn’t as busy as the ones in Santa Clara, the study’s findings are consistent with those done by the Univeristy of Chicago, Duke University, and other studies on children’s lead exposure who live near airports. Hundreds of children are within a half-mile radius of the Placerville Airport; in addition to being surrounded by many homes, Placerville Airport has a K-8 school 2,000 feet from it and a park 2,400 feet from it.
“There’s no safe blood lead level for children. Lead can damage children’s kidneys, blood, and brains.” “There is no evidence of a threshold below which there are no harmful effects on cognition in children from lead exposure…the emissions of lead from aircraft operating on leaded fuel cause elevated levels of lead in air near airports.“
The Solution: Offer Unleaded Gas
“94-octane unleaded avgas is on tap at about 70 small airports across the country, including the fields in California where lead is now banned” but 94-octane fuel is only “cleared for use in 70% of small planes.”
Fortunately, “General Aviation Modifications Inc. (GAMI) has developed an unleaded 100-octane AV gas that was finally approved for general use in piston airplanes by the FAA…GAMI’s unleaded fuel is the first in the U.S. that is approved for all spark ignition engines and airframes.” The September 2022 FAA approval of the 100-octane fuel was extensively covered by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, MSN, The Washington Post, and others.
We Need a Contract for Unleaded Gas Right Now
Our county will be signing a contract soon with a supplier for leaded gasoline from July 2024 through June 2025. We must ensure they contract to offer pilots unleaded gas.
WE ARE NOT ADVOCATING CLOSING DOWN THE AIRPORT
We just want to make the airport safer for children and think the FAA’s goal to eliminate lead gas nationwide “by the end of 2030” is too long to wait for Placerville Airport when “unleaded avgas is on tap at about 70 small airports” already.
For more information, please check out our news page or our section on unleaded fuel’s benefits for pilots.
You can contact us at SafeAirportGas@gmail.com