As a warm California breeze blows across the open airfield, a hidden danger has just now come to light. Residents of the Brackett Airport area have been told to keep their nervous system on alert; a one-kilometer radius is susceptible to lead inhalation and the hazards associated with lead poisoning.

In December 2014, the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health settled a 2011 lawsuit against aviation gasoline (Avgas) companies and 23 California airports that are still using leaded airplane fuel. Brackett Field Airport in La Verne, Calif., home of Mt. San Antonio College Aeronautics, is one of the airports that was targeted in the lawsuit filed under Proposition 65, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

Proposition 65 protects citizens from being exposed to cancer-causing or reproductive-harming chemicals without being properly notified by commercial entities that are exuding such substances.

Kaitlyn Malarkey, a 19-year-old communication major at Mt. SAC, drives past Brackett Airport everyday to get to school. “I love that airport. I used to go there all the time with my dad and I would play on the steps at Norm’s restaurant,” she said. “It’s scary to think that (the gas) could be polluting La Verne.”

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, lead ingestion can “adversely affect the nervous system, kidney function, immune system, reproductive and developmental systems and the cardiovascular system” depending on the dosage. Lead exposure can also cause neurological effects in children and high blood pressure and heart disease in adults. The Center for Disease Control lists lead inhalation as the second major pathway of exposure.

The contaminated area consists of a one-kilometer radius surrounding the airport. Areas affected include the northeastern corner of Puddingstone Reservoir and Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park, Mountain Meadows Golf Course, the western half of Fairplex, and southern neighborhoods in San Dimas and La Verne.

A letter mailed to residents located within the proximity of Brackett Airport notified citizens of the settlement as well as aviation benefits of leaded fuel and other common uses for lead. The letter states that Avgas “prevents damaging engine knock or detonation that can result in a sudden engine failure.” It cites the use of lead in car batteries as well as companies that have used lead-based paint.

“We have to use a fuel that is compatible with engines, delivers the proper octane, delivers longevity to the engine and provides the best safety. There’s no auto shop when you’re in the air,” said Robert Rogus, Co-Chair of the Mt. SAC Aeronautics Department. “In 26 years of flying, I have never experienced any health problems related to lead.”

According to Rogus, Avgas does not currently have an unleaded fuel alternative that is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA is currently deciding between five to seven fuel alternatives for approval.

Terms of the settlement included the posting of signs in the areas potentially affected by lead pollution. Signs displayed will say: “The area within one kilometer of Brackett Field Airport contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Lead is contained in the aviation fuel (‘Avgas’) that is used by small piston engine aircraft that will take off and land at this airport. People living, working, or traveling near this location will be exposed to lead as aircraft take off and land.”