When Will Leaded Gasoline Finally Be Banned?

#EcoAdvice from our expert

Dear Dr. Donley,

Help! I’m concerned that my family’s getting exposed to lead. I live close to a small airport, and I was shocked to learn that some airplanes are still using leaded gasoline. Are there any efforts underway to find a replacement fuel?

Signed,

Hanging My Head Down Near the Hangar

Dear Flightpath Homesteader,

Yes, there’s an unfortunate loophole that allows for some planes to still use leaded gasoline, despite the fact that the toxic metal was phased out of automobile gasoline in the 1990s. Most small, propeller-driven aircraft still use leaded gasoline to prevent engine “knocking,” which could cause the engine to fail mid-flight. Definitely not what you want to be thinking about when you’re thousands of feet above the ground.

While this sounds like a small loophole, the reality is that all of these small airplanes collectively spew a lot of lead — 500 tons each year according to the EPA. About half of these emissions remain concentrated around airports, while the other half are emitted throughout the country during flight. With a chemical as toxic as lead, that’s simply unacceptable.

This loophole needs to be closed. We were able to get rid of leaded gasoline in automobiles through tough regulations that required the creation of new gasoline formulas. Regulatory pressure is once again needed to extend the ban on leaded gas to include small airplanes.

In 2006 multiple groups petitioned the EPA to declare leaded aviation gasoline a threat to public health, a position fully supported by the available science. But the EPA has still not acted on that petition. Meanwhile, the “No Lead in the Air Act of 2016” was recently introduced by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) in the U.S. House of Representatives to ban leaded aviation gasoline by 2021. Whether the bill moves through Congress depends on the pressure members of Congress get from the people. So it’s time to apply that pressure. You can take action on our website here.

Leaded aviation gasoline is going to be banned sooner or later; lead is simply too dangerous. It is estimated that 80 percent of small airplanes can make the switch to unleaded gasoline immediately, so there’s little standing in the way of a ban — other than apathy. The question is: Will it be the EPA or the Congress that will force change?

Stay Wild,

Dr. Donley