Fifty years ago, the federal government began a successful process to rid vehicle gasoline of lead, a chemical linked to brain harm and IQ loss. Half a century later, lead continues to be used in the fuels that power the nation’s fleet of small aircraft, an additive to stop their piston engines from potentially malfunctioning mid-flight. Today the aviation industry accounts for 70% of lead emissions in the nation — nearly 500 tons that rain down annually. Though ideally not for much longer.
Last September, the federal agency overseeing the nation’s aviation industry certified the first lead-free aviation gas for use in the more than 200,000 registered piston engine aircraft that currently use leaded gasolines. This important stamp of approval comes after a mounting, decades-long public outcry and a race among fuel companies like petroleum giant Phillips 66 to create a lead-free aviation alternative.
