(REUTERS) — The Environmental Protection (EPA) said on Friday that it is proposing to declare emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel pose a danger to public health.
The concern is emissions from nearly 200,000 U.S. general aviation airplanes. Lead is not in jet fuel, which is used by commercial aircraft.
Airborne lead in the United States have declined by 99 percent since 1980, however piston-engine aircraft are the largest remaining source of lead emissions into the air.
Children’s exposure to lead can cause irreversible and lifelong health effects.
The EPA said if the proposed “endangerment finding” is finalized, it would subsequently propose regulatory standards for lead emissions from aircraft engines.
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