Modeling of Lead Concentrations and Hot Spots at General Aviation Airports

• Published in: Transportation research record Vol. 2569; no. 1; pp. 80 - 87
• Main Authors: Feinberg, Stephen N., Heiken, Jeremy G., Valdez, Marc P., Lyons, Jim M., Turner, Jay R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2016
• DOI: 10.3141/2569-09
• EISSN: 2169-4052
• ISSN: 0361-1981

Lead (Pb) is an air pollutant that has been associated with adverse health effects, including neurological effects in children that can manifest as behavioral problems, learning deficits, and lowered intelligence quotient. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, piston-engine aircraft contribute more than one-half of atmospheric Pb emissions nationwide. The most concentrated areas of piston-engine aircraft activity are general aviation airports. Even though several U.S. airports monitor Pb concentrations, few studies have focused on modeling Pb emissions. Airports and environmental agencies can assess and possibly mitigate the effects of atmospheric Pb emissions by determining the spatial extent of Pb concentrations at airports and the primary contributors to areas where Pb concentrations are high. Aircraft operations were observed at three general aviation airports to develop spatially and temporally resolved emissions inventories: Richard Lloyd Jones, Jr., Airport (RVS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, Colorado; and Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in Santa Monica, California. A refined emissions inventory method was developed and implemented, and the AERMOD air quality dispersion model was used to determine Pb concentration fields at each selected airport. Compared with airborne Pb concentrations measured on site, modeled Pb concentrations were in very good agreement at RVS and SMO and biased high at APA. The highest modeled Pb concentrations were near run-up areas and runway ends at all three airports; the primary contributors to the high-concentration areas were run-up area activities, taxiing, and takeoffs.