Signage Needed to Warn Residents of Dangers of Lead Near Hillsboro Airport

April 19, 2023

Blaine Ackley, University of Portland Emeritus Professor of Education, presented the following comments at the Port of Portland Board of Commissioners monthly meeting on April 12, 2023. In addition to the Portland International Airport, the Port owns two general aviation airports - Hillsboro (HIO) and Troutdale (TTD). HIO and TTD are among the top 100 lead polluting airports in the country.

An earlier review of Hillsboro schools provided by Blaine Ackley revealed that 15 schools are located within 4.2 miles of HIO, the largest facility source of airborne lead pollution in Oregon. The 9,810 students attending these schools constitute fifty-one percent of Hillsboro's total K-12 enrollment.

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President Cuprill-Comas and Commissioners,

My name is Blaine Ackley and I reside in Hillsboro.

I appear before you today because I am concerned about lead emissions from general aviation, propeller driven aircraft at the Hillsboro Airport (HIO).

It is a fact that lead in any amount is dangerous to a person's health. Lead has deleterious health effects on children and adults of all ages. We also know that a 2017 EPA NEI study has found that of 20,000 airports studied HIO is the 8th most lead contaminated airport in the entire country.

We are aware from air monitoring studies that the immediate areas surrounding general aviation airports (especially those areas where the pilots rev up their engines prior to take off and at take off) are the most dangerous areas of lead contamination for the environment.

Yet with sidewalks, bike paths, and even some park areas in the immediate vicinity of the airport, there are no signs warning people of this danger. Why is that so?

Surely as a governmental agency, the Port of Portland should want to notify people of any situations that are dangerous to their health. And as a good citizen, the Port should want to be transparent with the public.

Therefore, I am asking you, the Port of Portland Commissioners to direct the HIO airport administration to begin placing public health warning signs along the fences, bikeways, and walkways in the immediate vicinity around the perimeter of the airport until such a time that leaded av gas is no longer used by any aircraft at HIO.

The following is a picture of the warning signs placed at some lead contaminated California airports:

 

Photo Source: Gary Keller from Citizens Against Gillespie Expansion (C.A.G.E.) provided the photo. It shows a sign posted at the Montgomery-Gibbs Airport in San Diego County. Montgomery Gibbs is the 11th most lead polluted airport in the U.S. Gillespie Field, also located in San Diego County ranks 13th. For a listing of the top lead polluting airports nationwide see https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/top100leadpollutingairports_2021-08-23.pdf.