Study Finds Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Living Near the Reid-Hillview Airport

Miki Barnes
August 4, 2021

California's Reid-Hillview Airport is a general aviation flight training facility with similarities to Oregon's Hillsboro Airport (HIO), though HIO logs more annual operations, emits more lead, and has twice as many based aircraft than Reid-Hillview.

The full study is available online. This excerpt is from an 8/4/2021 Santa Clara County News release.

Study Commissioned by County of Santa Clara Finds Increased Lead Levels in Children Living Near Reid-Hillview Airport

Comprehensive and controlled study reviewed 10 years of data; findings include that blood lead level increases in children downwind from the site are similar to those seen in the Flint, Michigan, Water Crisis
[Italics and bold added]

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— A study commissioned by the County of Santa Clara on lead exposure risks for children living in the area around Reid-Hillview Airport in East San José found that the continued use of leaded aviation fuel has contributed to increased blood lead levels, particularly for those within a half-mile of the facility.

The peer-reviewed study found that children living downwind from the airport had higher blood lead levels, with increases of .40 micrograms per deciliter, over children living upwind from the airport. For context, lead levels detected during the peak of the Flint Water Crisis were between .35 and .45 micrograms per deciliter over baseline.

The study also examined levels during times of maximum exposure to air traffic for children within a half-mile of the airport and estimated an increase of .83 micrograms per deciliter at peak times – significantly higher than the levels seen in Flint.

A San Jose Spotlight article on the study pointed out that "...there are 21 schools and childcare centers surrounding the airport" and further elucidated significant environmental justice issues. "Advocates representing the Latino-heavy neighborhoods around the airport, including the Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley and the Close Reid-Hillview Airport Now! Coalition, claim the airport is an example of environmental injustice due to its proximity to low-income neighborhoods."

In 2020, in response to widespread community concerns over noise and lead emissions in excess of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Santa Clara County Supervisors moved forward with plans to close the airport, but their efforts are being opposed by the FAA, an agency with a long history of authoritarian overreach and blatant disregard for the negative impacts of aviation activity on local communities.

Reid-Hillview Airport Background

Reid-Hillview, one of 960 airports located in California, is owned and operated by Santa Clara County.

According to the FAA Master Record site, AirportIQ-5010, in the 12 months ending on 1/31/2020, Reid-Hillview logged 209,314 annual operations, an average of 573 per day. The majority,123,179, were categorized as local. These are touch-and-go flights that circle repetitively below 2,000 feet, within a 4-5 mile radius of the airport. The remainder were listed as itinerant. There are 123 aircraft based at this facility including 115 single-engine and 6 multi-engine aircraft as well as 2 helicopters. Many of the aircraft flown out of general aviation airports like Reid-Hillview, still use leaded fuel (avgas). As reported by the EPA, these piston-engine aircraft are responsible for as much as 62% of all airborne lead in the U.S.

Reid-Hillview Airport Comparison with the Hillsboro Airport

Like the Port of Portland owned and operated Hillsboro Airport (HIO), Reid-Hillview is predominantly a flight training facility. HIO, however, historically logs more annual operations than Reid-Hillview. FAA AirportIQ-5010 records indicate that during the 12 month period ending on 7/13/2020, HIO logged 253,847 operations including 160,261 local, 83,381 itinerant, 9,561 air taxi, and 644 military. This translates into an average of 695 operations per day, more than 100 more than Reid-Hillview. There are 253 aircraft based at HIO, more than twice as many as Reid-Hillview - 163 single-engine, 26 multi-engine, 41 jets and 23 helicopters. Though the jets do not use leaded fuel, they are a source of a number of other pollutants including greenhouse gases.

A 2/3/20 General Aviation News report identified the top 10 busiest general aviation airports in the U.S. HIO placed 6th. Reid-Hillview did not appear on the list. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Emissions Inventory (NEI), HIO, the largest source of lead pollution in Oregon, ranked 11th out of more than 19,000 airports nationwide in lead emissions. In 2017, it released over .60 tons (1211 lbs.) of lead emissions during landing and take-off. This figure does not include ground run-up emissions or the lead released during repetitive training maneuvers after aircraft leave the airport.

By contrast, the 2017 EPA NEI revealed that Reid-Hillview airport released .37 tons (746 pounds) of lead during this same time-frame, 455 lbs. fewer than HIO.