People living near North Perry Airport are speaking out after learning Broward County has no plans to study lead emissions despite health concerns.
Pines Village neighbors George Koren and Kit Jordan spoke to NBC6 about the impact they believe emissions could be having on residents’ health.
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“You can't sit on my patio,” Jordan said. “If you put your hand, on it you're going to come up with black soot.”
“There's particulate matter that comes off of these airplanes,” Koren added. “And I think if there was a way to do a long-term study on the health of the residents, and some of the children and stuff, that they would find there's an absolute connection.”
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A study is exactly what neighbors have been requesting. Late last year, the Environmental Protection Agency published findings confirming the dangers of lead emissions from aircraft, specifically the piston-engine planes that operate here.
Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castillo told NBC6 the findings alarmed residents.
“The city of Pembroke Pines, rightfully so and at the request of residents, asked for an air quality study,” Castillo said. “$30,000 were put into the budget for the study. It hasn't been done.”
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Castillo said the county allocated funding for a study a year ago, but no one has responded to his emails about when a study could be conducted.
“We demand that Broward County perform this study that they funded… so that we can rely on the results and use those results to figure out what's next,” he said.
A spokesperson for the county’s aviation department told NBC6 in a statement:
“The Broward County Aviation Department (BCAD) is closely monitoring the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Environmental Protection Agency for guidance pertaining to leaded aviation fuels, which is a national issue. To date, neither federal agency has provided new guidance for airports’ use of leaded aviation fuels. As a reminder, the FAA is the authority governing the certification and operation of aircraft. Once guidance has been published by federal authorities, BCAD will review the guidance and act accordingly following consultation with other agencies with experience in air and soil quality testing. Until then, BCAD has no plans for testing at the North Perry Airport at this time.”
“Well, I think that continues in their vein of trying to brush off the concerns of the residents,” Koren said.
“I think as a homeowner and a taxpayer and thinking of the next generation, they need to take a big look at this,” Jordan added. “If that's what's landing on our grass, on our houses, on our patios and the cars, what are we breathing in?”
According to the FAA, the national deadline for transitioning fully to unleaded aviation gasoline is 2030, with the exception of Alaska, which has a deadline of 2032.
