2022-08-13
There is this form of air pollution, which you probably have not heard of, called ultrafine particulates (UFPs). Though they are invisible, they seem to have some particularly nasty effects on human health. UFPs have not been well-studied, they are unregulated, and yet they are prevalent in commercial jet engine emissions. But this is not
2021-09-24
A mini-bio of Clair Patterson, the man who got lead out of (most) of our environment [RADIOLAB INTRO] LATIF NASSER: I’m Latif Nasser. This is Radiolab. Today, a story about how we humans rearrange the elemental stuff all around us, and how one man’s pursuit of a basic truth about the Earth revealed in an extraterrestrial
2021-08-03
This 2021 report by Mountain Data Group, commissioned by Santa Clara County, examines the health risks posed to children living near Reid-Hillview Airport in California due to lead emissions from leaded aviation gasoline. It analyzes statistical associations between children's blood lead levels and factors such as residential distance from the airport, aircraft traffic, and fuel sales. Note that while this report focuses on lead exposure from aviation fuel at a California airport, it does not address noise policy or Sea-Tac Airport operations.
2020-02-01
This EPA technical report estimates airborne lead concentrations near U.S. airports caused by piston-engine aircraft burning leaded aviation gasoline (avgas). Using air quality modeling and extrapolation methods, the study identifies airports where lead levels may exceed national air quality standards, particularly in areas close to aircraft run-up zones. While not specific to Sea-Tac Airport, the findings are relevant to understanding aviation-related air quality impacts at airports nationwide.
2020-02-01
This EPA technical report estimates airborne lead concentrations near U.S. airports caused by piston-engine aircraft burning leaded aviation gasoline (avgas). Using air quality modeling and extrapolation methods, the study identifies airports where lead levels may exceed national air quality standards, particularly in areas close to aircraft run-up zones. While not specific to Sea-Tac Airport, the findings are relevant to understanding aviation-related air quality impacts at airports nationwide.
2017-02-10
This academic paper traces the history of human lead use from the Neolithic period through modern times, exploring how smelting, leaded fuel, water pipes, and paint contributed to widespread environmental and health contamination. Using lead isotope signatures found in Greenland ice cores, researchers identified a 200-fold increase in atmospheric lead levels between 800 BCE and the 1960s, with the sharpest rise after 1940. The study also examines the measurable impact of lead exposure on human health through analysis of ancient and modern skeletal remains.
Long-Form: Chronically catastrophic chemist Thomas Midgley accidentally poisons the world with a neurotoxin, and Clair Patterson tries to stop him. Written by Alan Bellows • Non-Fiction • December 2007 Thomas Midgley At the turn of the twentieth century, as the age of automobiles was afoot, the newfangled gasoline-powered internal combustion engine began to reach the limitations of the fuel that fed it. As
2002-06-10
This 2002 draft document presents 1996 modeled air exposure concentration estimates for toxic pollutants including lead, manganese, and arsenic across all U.S. states. It compares statewide source contributions from major industrial areas, onroad vehicles, nonroad sources, and background levels. Supplementary 2001 monitoring data from Sea-Tac Airport and nearby Seattle sites shows measured concentrations of these pollutants, with some local readings—such as a single manganese measurement exceeding 36 ng/m³ and an arsenic reading surpassing 12 ng/m³—notably higher than regional averages.
Research support was provided by the Investigative Fund of The Nation Institute. Follow-ups: “Amplification,” June 19, 2000 and letters exchanges: “Lead–Balloons and Bouquets,” May 15, and “Lead-Letter Office,” July 3, 2000. JAMIE LINCOLN KITMAN The next time you pull the family barge in for a fill-up, check it out: The gas pumps read “Unleaded.” You might reasonably suppose this is because naturally
1933-01-01
A 1933 print advertisement for Ethyl Gasoline Corporation (New York), illustrated by Frederic Stanley, featuring the headline 'Gee, Pop – They're All Passing You' with a father and son in a car. The ad promotes Ethyl leaded gasoline as 'The World's Highest Quality Motor Fuel' and notes 'Ethyl fluid contains lead. © E.G.C. 1933.'
2021-09-24
2021-08-03
2020-02-01
2017-02-10
2002-06-10
1933-01-01