[JCBird1012]

Smaller general aviation aircraft still use 100LL gasoline (the LL stands for low lead) - and even though there’s lead-free replacement candidates (still going through regulatory approval, at least in the US), it’s been known that areas around airports with frequent GA traffic have higher levels of lead in the air, and children living near said airports may have elevated levels of lead in their blood (https://paloaltoonline.com/news/2021/08/06/new-study-finds-l...)

[throwaway0a5e]

>and children living near said airports may have elevated levels of lead in their blood

Or is that because the upper middle class types avoid airport noise like the plague leaving the housing stock around airports cheaper, older and more leaded?

The correlation between low income and lead (all known bad chemicals highly used in the past really) exposure is well studied rather than speculative.

[verst]

What about the pilots? I always get this fuel on my hands during preflight when sumping the fuel tanks.

[stonemetal12]

Lead doesn't absorb through the skin. You have to breathe or eat it. As long as you thoroughly wash your hands after preflight, the only exposure should be the fumes and exhaust in the air.

[nate_meurer]

No, tetraethyl lead, which is the form of lead found in fuel, is easily absorbed through the skin.