Santa Clara County Board Votes for Expedited Closure of Reid-Hillview Airport

Miki Barnes
September 7, 2021

"The Flint water crisis from start to finish unfolded in less than a year and a half. By contrast at Reid-Hillview, the release of lead into the lived environment is a continuous, non-stop, daily unabated flow of an undeniably harmful toxicant. I remind you that we are talking about more than a thousand pounds of lead released annually on nearby populations."
– Dr. Sammy Zahran

Following an 8/17/2021 hearing, the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to close the Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV) and ban the use of leaded aviation fuel at this facility, despite resistance from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Prior to their vote, the board considered the oral and written testimony submitted by numerous residents and concerned citizens, many of whom pointed out that a significant percentage of those who are disproportionately impacted by elevated blood lead levels, noise, pollution and safety risks are members of minority communities who reside in close proximity to the airport.

Before arriving at this decision, the Santa Clara County board commissioned a lead study released on 8/3/21 documenting the significant negative health impacts of the lead emitted by the flight training schools, private pilots, and others who fly in and out of RHV. Most of the more than 200,000 annual operations at the airport occur in piston-engine aircraft that continue to rely on leaded fuel.

Dr. Sammy Zahran, a Professor of Demography and Associate Chair in the Department of Economics at Colorado State University and also a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the Colorado School of Public Health, headed up the study. He shared his findings at the county board of supervisors meeting and at county sponsored community meetings on Aug. 11 and 12. Joining him was Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a Physician and Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Dr. Lanphear has devoted many years to researching the negative health impacts of lead and other toxins on children and adults.

The RHV lead study included an analysis of data from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020 of over 17,000 blood lead level samplings of children residing within one and a half miles of the airport at the time the blood draws were taken. The researchers found compelling evidence that aviation activity correlates with increases in Blood Lead Levels (BLLs). The findings revealed that over the past 8 to 9 years, aircraft flying in and out of RHV have released 1200 pounds of lead into the air annually, a combined total of 5 tons, during that time-frame.

Additional findings included the following:

  • "Under periods of high piston-engine aircraft traffic, children proximate to the Reid-Hillview Airport experience an increase in BLLs in excess of what the children of Flint experienced during the FWC [Flint Water Crisis]." (Pg. xviii)
  • Children living less than .5 miles from Reid-Hillview experienced an estimated .83 microgram increase in BLLs, "an effect that is substantially higher than the increase in BLLs caused by water failure systems during the FWC [Flint Water Crisis]."
  • The BLLs of children increased in response to increases in piston-engine traffic at RHV.
  • The direction of the prevailing winds has an impact on blood lead levels. "BLLs are significantly and substantively higher among sampled children residing East (and predominantly downwind) of Reid-Hillview Airport, and significantly increase in the estimated downwind days drifting in the residential direction of a sampled child from the date of blood draw." (Pg. 82)
  • "The BLLs of sampled children increase significantly and dose-responsively with proximity to Reid-Hillview Airport." (Pg. 82)
  • "... BLLs of sampled children increase significantly with monthly quantities of aviation gasoline sold to fixed-base operators at Reid-Hillview Airport from the date of blood draw." (Pgs. 82-83)
  • "...children commuting toward Reid-Hillview to attend school had higher BLLs than sampled children commuting away from Reid-Hillview for school." (Pg.84)
  • From February to July of 2020, air traffic at RHV declined 34-44% due to the pandemic. It returned to historical levels between August and December of 2020. During the period of decreased operations, children's blood lead levels also decreased.

Effects of Lead on Human Health

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) identifies airports as a potential source of lead exposure and lists the negative health impacts of this toxin including "damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems." Per the CDC, "No safe blood lead level in children has been identified. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement."

The RHV lead study pointed to scientific research linking elevated blood lead levels in children with various outcomes, including:

  • Cognitive and intellectual impairments
  • Poor academic achievement
  • Higher risk of attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorders
  • Abnormal psychology and behavior in adolescence
  • Higher incidence of juvenile delinquency in adolescents

The authors also cited studies linking childhood lead exposure to adult-onset health problems including hypertension, renal disorders and cardiovascular disease as well as reduced IQs, poor judgment, and difficulties with mood regulation. (RHV Lead Study Pgs. 1-2)

During his presentation at the 8/11/2021 community meeting, Dr. Lanphear provided additional information on the effects of lead exposure.

  • As children's BLLs increase, the size of their brain is diminished, especially the prefrontal cortex which is smaller in children who have ADHD. As noted by Dr. Zahran, the prefrontal cortex is the seat of rational thought, thus damage to this part of the brain can lead to greater impulsivity.
  • Dr. Lanphear reported that, "Children who have blood lead levels over 1.7 micrograms per deciliter of blood were 2 to 2 1/2 times more likely to have ADHD." In the U.S. lead exposure is recognized as a causal factor in 1 out of 5 children who have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Health Impacts of Lead Exposure in Adults

  • Even at very low levels, lead is the leading risk factor for coronary heart disease. It is responsible for 185,000 deaths per year in the U.S.
  • Lead is a causal factor for renal failure, essential tremor, and hypertension.
  • Lead is a suspected contributor to ALS and dementia.
  • Increased BLLs in pregnant women contribute to premature births, low birth weight, and reduced Apgar scores.
  • Pregnant women with elevated BLLs are at higher risk for pre-eclampsia.

Background on Reid-Hillview

RHV is one of the more than 19,000 airports in the U.S. categorized as a General Aviation (GA) facility. Other than jets, which use jet fuel, the vast majority of GA operations are piston-engine aircraft that still rely on leaded fuel (avgas). These aircraft are responsible for 70% of airborne lead pollution in the U.S. RHV predominantly serves for-profit flight training businesses and affluent private aircraft owners.

FAA statistics reveal that in 2020 there were 691,691 certified pilots nationwide. Of that number, nearly one-third (222,629) were student pilots, many recruited from overseas. Another 117,578, more than one-sixth, were listed as flight instructors. Thus nearly half of the total U.S. pilot population is associated with the publicly subsidized, for-profit, male-dominated (fewer than 9% are women) flight training industry.

FAA policies pertaining to general aviation airports are designed to cater to this less than 1/4 of one percent of the U.S. population. It is these pilots who are responsible for pumping over 450 tons of lead into the air nationwide each year. An even smaller fraction flies in and out of the Reid-Hillview Airport, a minuscule minority that annually pumps over 1200 pounds of this pernicious neurotoxin into the air.

The following quote from an FAA posting entitled Leaded Aviation Fuel and the Environment reveals that the agency is well aware of the negative health impacts of lead. "All forms of lead are toxic if inhaled or ingested. Lead can affect human health in several ways, including effects on the nervous system, red blood cells and cardiovascular and immune systems. Infants and young children are especially sensitive to even low levels of lead, which may contribute to behavioral and learning problems and lower IQ. Children have increased sensitivity due to their developing nervous systems."

Yet despite this knowledge and the RHV lead study providing hard evidence of the negative and potentially life-long effects of lead exposure on the surrounding community, the FAA is opposing the expedited closure of RHV.

California Airports

The 2017 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Emissions Inventory (NEI) ranks RHV 12th among 5,978 facility sources of lead in California.

Statewide, 16 airports are among the top 20 sources of this pollutant. Long Beach-Daugherty Field, Van Nuys, Montgomery Field, Gillespie Field, John Wayne, Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County and Livermore Municipal all release more lead on an annual basis than RHV. In addition to airports, two military bases are among the top emitters of lead in California: the U.S. Marine Corps Chocolate Mountains Aerial Gunnery Range is ranked 2nd and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Air Ground Combat Center (AGCC) is ranked 10th.

A review of the General Aviation Manufacture's Association 2019 Databook (Pgs. 41-42) reveals that California, with a population of 39.5 million, has 960 airports. Fewer than 5 percent are commercial airline passenger facilities. The vast majority are lead emitting general aviation airports.

For context, France (population 67.06 million) has 294 airports, 666 fewer than California to serve a population with more than 27 million more people. Germany (population 83.02 million) has 318 airports, 642 fewer than California to serve a population more than twice that of California and Italy (population of 60.36 million) has 98 airports, 862 fewer than California, to serve a population with over 20 million more people than California.

Reasons for the Immediate Closure of Reid-Hillview

Despite the extensive documentation on the negative effects of lead on the environment and human health, the FAA has failed to mandate an alternative to leaded aviation fuel. Nearly a decade has passed since the FAA established the Piston Aviation Fuel Initiative (PAFI) in 2012. The agency initially stated that an unleaded fuel alternative would be available by 2018, but this date has come and gone. Given this pattern of postponement and delay, local communities need to take definitive steps to protect their children and families from the potentially irreversible effects of lead exposure. For this reason it is imperative Reid-Hillview close without further delay.

The RHV lead study concluded with the following statement: "On the matter of aviation gasoline exposure risk to families and children proximate to general aviation airports, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine maintains, 'Because lead does not appear to exhibit a minimum concentration in blood below which there are no health effects, there is a compelling reason to reduce or eliminate aviation lead emissions.' The ensemble evidence compiled in this study supports the 'compelling' need to limit aviation lead emissions to safeguard the welfare and life chances of at-risk children." (RHV Lead Study Pg.85)

The CDC's primary prevention guidelines also recommend removing lead hazards from the environment. "It is the most effective way to ensure that children do not experience harmful long-term effects of lead exposure."

In light of the significant and potentially irreversible effects of lead exposure on children, in conjunction with the current lack of an unleaded aviation fuel alternative at most airports, and in recognition of the time and money it will require to make it available even if eventually mandated, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors made the right call: plans to close Reid-Hillview Airport should be expedited.

To be sure, the immediate closure of this airport makes but a small dent in the enormous amount of lead emissions released by the more than 19,000 airports nationwide that serve general aviation aircraft. Alarmingly, even with its closure, more than 900 lead spewing airports in California will still be available for the affluent few who choose to fly out of these facilities. Nevertheless RHV closure represents a long overdue start towards protecting children and families from this insidious and hazardous toxin.

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To access the links to the RHV lead study and Santa Clara County community presentations visit the posting at this link: Santa Clara County Office of Community Affairs and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

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