Presumably because having lead in drinking water is more likely to be a source of lead poisoning than background AvGas emissions from the small piston powered aircraft at the nearby flight training school
Metallic lead has very low bioavailability. Lead compounds - particularly organolead compounds like tetraethyllead - are vastly more toxic. Replacing lead pipes is a good idea, but it should be a scandal that leaded avgas is still legal.
Leaded AvGas is the fuel for piston powered aircraft. Typically your small, general aviation propeller aircraft. Not jets. They burn JetA (kerosene).
Jets? I thought lead was added to fuel to prevent "pinking", which is the pre-ignition of fuel in the cylinders of a piston engine. Why does jet fuel need lead?
I think you’re right. Leaded additive is an octane enhancer to prevent knocking but it’s also good for valve seats and whatnot. That’s the bit what makes it difficult to just switch to other octane enhancers as far as I know.
Suggested explanation: jet fuel doesn't need added tetraethyl lead. But aviation fuel is standardized; it's convenient to use the same fuel for jet planes and planes with piston-engines, so that airstrips don't have to store more than one kind of fuel.
Jet fuel and avgas are kept carefully separate and are incompatible - Jet fuel has no added lead.
Most piston aircraft use avgas (usually leaded) though some use jet fuel (diesel powered). Larger propellers are usually powered by turbines burning jet fuel.
Thanks for clarifying!
Jets don’t use leaded aviation gas.
Also came here to point out that celebrities aren't traveling the world in these cheap slow planes ...
Yeah I think the original commenter wanted to drum up support for their idea by also blaming movie stars and CEOs (kind of like shooting fish in a barrel on HN).
why not do both in parallel, ban the fucking planes AND restore the pipes. Are you OK?