The dangers posed by lead’s carcinogenic toxicity, whether it’s inhaled or absorbed into the bloodstream, have been well-known for decades. Lead is particularly harmful to children during their developmental years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began discussing a total ban on lead in automobile gasoline back in the mid-1980s and outlawed the heavy metal in all fuel sold in the United States nearly 25 years ago, with one exception: aviation gasoline, or avgas.
When Will We See Unleaded AvGas?
Key Takeaways:
- The aviation industry faces a persistent challenge to replace toxic leaded 100LL avgas, driven by environmental concerns and regulatory pressure, despite the small market size and the need for 100% backward compatibility with existing piston engines.
- Official efforts by the FAA and PAFI to identify a fleet-wide unleaded avgas replacement have been slow, but private companies like Swift Fuels and GAMI are independently developing and certifying their own unleaded fuel solutions.
- Separately, new IMO 2020 regulations on marine fuel sulfur emissions are expected to increase global demand for distillate fuels, leading to a projected rise in Jet-A prices by 25 to 65 cents per gallon starting in 2020.
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