Regulations for Lead Emissions from Aircraft

• Overview
• List of related regulations

Overview

Protecting children’s health and reducing lead exposure are two of EPA’s top priorities. EPA has been investigating the air quality impact of lead emissions from piston-engine aircraft operating on leaded fuel, including assessment of lead concentrations in air near airports and evaluation of the potentially exposed population.

EPA is now evaluating, under the Clean Air Act, whether emissions of lead from piston-engine aircraft cause or contribute to air pollution that endangers public health or welfare. For convenience, we refer to this action collectively as the “endangerment finding.”

EPA currently plans to issue a proposed endangerment finding in 2022 which will undergo public notice and comment. After evaluating comments on the proposal, we plan to issue any final endangerment finding in 2023.

The FAA, together with government and industry stakeholders, is in the early stages of developing a multi-layered transition strategy to reduce and ultimately eliminate lead from aviation gasoline. More information about FAA’s programs can be found here: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/avgas/

• EPA’s Data and Analysis of Piston-engine Aircraft Emissions of Lead at U.S. Airports
• Petitions and EPA response memorandums related to lead emissions from aircraft

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List of Related Regulations

Below is a list of all regulations related to lead pollution from aircraft.

• Rule summaries;
• Regulatory impact analyses;
• Comment summaries;
• Rule histories; and 
• Fact sheets.*

*Note: Rule-related materials vary by rule.