Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft
2021

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Small gasoline-powered aircraft are the single largest emitter of lead in the United States, as other major emission sources such as automobile gasoline have been previously addressed. A highly toxic substance that can result in an array of negative health effects in humans, lead is added to aviation gasoline to meet the performance and safety requirements of a sizable portion of the country's gasoline-powered aircraft.

Significantly reducing lead emissions from gasoline-powered aircraft will require the leadership and strategic guidance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a broad-based and sustained commitment by other government agencies and the nation's pilots, airport managers, aviation fuel and service suppliers, and aircraft manufacturers, according to a congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

While efforts are underway to develop an unleaded aviation fuel that can be used by the entire gasoline-powered fleet, the uncertainty of success means that other steps should also be taken to begin reducing lead emissions and exposures, notes the report, titled TRB Special Report 336: Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft.

Piston-engine aircraft are critical to performing general aviation (GA) functions like aerial observation, medical airlift, pilot training, and business transport. Other GA functions, such as crop dusting, aerial firefighting, search and rescue, and air taxi service, have particular significance to communities in rural and remote locations.

Accompanying the report is a three-page highlight summary that provides a condensed version of the findings.

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178 pages · 6 x 9 · paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-25680-1
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-25686-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/26050

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National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

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Front Matter i-xvi
Summary 1-14
1 Introduction 15-28
2 Background on the Piston-Engine Aircraft Fleet and Airports 29-42
3 General Aviation Lead Emissions and Their Potential Health Impacts 43-70
4 Changing Operations and Practices at Airports to Reduce Aviation Lead 71-86
5 Existing Fuel Options for Piston-Engine Aircraft to Reduce Lead 87-104
6 Potential Future Lead-Free Fuels and Propulsion Systems 105-124
7 Conclusion 125-138
Appendix A: Committee Member Biographies 139-144
Appendix B: Open-Session Meeting Agendas 145-148
Appendix C: Statutory Provisions (42 U.S.C. 7571 7573 and 49 U.S.C. 44714) 149-152
Appendix D: Ethylene Dibromide 153-154
Appendix E: Occupational Health 155-162

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Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft (2021)

Chapter: 2 Background on the Piston-Engine Aircraft Fleet and Airports

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Options for Reducing Lead Emissions from Piston-Engine Aircraft (2021)

Chapter: 2 Background on the Piston-Engine Aircraft Fleet and Airports