All have a role in reducing lead emissions at Hillsboro Airport (editorial) | OregonLive.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2014/09/all_have_a_role_in_reducing_le.html

Interesting editorial on toxic lead pollution from aircraft. Very revealing of the Oregonian mindset, which is the same one dominating in Salem, the one that says "It can't hurt you if you don't think about it."

To the Oregonian, rural Oregonians don't matter -- their solution isn't to make the easy fix, stopping use of leaded gas, but rather to send the lead emissions out to be sprayed around where we grow food.  Freaking brilliant.

Lead is a persistent, potent neurotoxin that damages the brain permanently.  When sprayed on crops, it enters the food chain and winds up in us.  When sprayed over urban areas, it gets on everything and begins being consumed with food and drink (in this era of eating while driving, who washes before touching every bite of food?).  Good comment on the article repeated below.

Miki Barnes4 days ago

The Centers for Disease Control has stated that there is no safe level of lead in a child's blood and recommends eliminating this toxin at its source. The largest source of airborne lead emissions in the U.S. are airports, especially airports that accommodate piston engine aircraft like Hillsboro Airport which ranks in the top one percent, 21st in the nation, out of nearly 20,000 U.S. airports in lead emissions.

In light of this substantial body of evidence revealing  the pernicious effect of lead on both children and adults, even at very low exposure levels, why does the Oregon Pilots Association view shifting flight training to rural communities as a solution to airport environmental problems? Is the health and well being of rural residents of less importance than urban dwellers? Why should the for profit flight training industry be entitled to degrade the livability and compromise the health of people who have chosen to live in less populated rural settings? For the record, rural and urban residetns alike are  already subjected to Hillsboro Aviation flight training activity over rural communities throughout the area.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."