Presentation on KRHV Lead Emissions Study - 8/11/2021

Palmpilot

Palmpilot

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Richard Palm
I received this email this afternoon:
_______________________________

Please join County of Santa Clara staff and Supervisor Cindy Chavez for a virtual community meeting to learn the results of a study prepared for the County of Santa Clara about airborne lead emissions at Reid-Hillview Airport in San José.

MEETING: San José Community Meeting – Reid-Hillview Airport Airborne Lead Study
DATE: Wednesday, August 11, 2021
TIME: 6 pm
LOCATION: See Zoom Link and meeting information at the end of this message. (Meeting will be translated simultaneously in Spanish and Vietnamese.)

The purpose of this meeting is to review and ask questions about the results of a study prepared by Dr. Sammy Zahran on airborne lead emissions at Reid-Hillview Airport.

This Study will be reviewed by the County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors at a virtual hearing at 6 pm on August 17, 2021. Please attend this Board hearing by Zoom to provide your comments.

BACKGROUND
In December 2018, the County Board of Supervisors directed County staff to study whether there was any link between lead-based airplane emissions at Reid-Hillview Airport and blood lead levels of children living near the airport. Aviation fuel for piston-engine aircraft still includes lead, although this was banned in automotive fuel in the 1990s.

The County engaged Dr. Sammy Zahran to study lead emissions at Reid-Hillview Airport. Dr. Zahran is a Professor of Demography in the Dept. of Economics at Colorado State University and a Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology in the Colorado School of Public Health.

Dr. Zahran’s academic research focuses on the economic, health, and social costs of pollution and environmental risks. Dr. Zahran has published numerous studies relating to the relationship between various sources of exposure — including leaded aviation fuel, mine emissions, lead pipes, and soil — and blood lead levels in children.

The Study analyzed blood lead levels of children within 1.5 miles of Reid-Hillview Airport, piston-engine aircraft activity at the airport, and weather and prevailing winds for the study period to establish whether there is a significant relationship between airport emissions and blood lead levels. Dr. Zahran and his team reviewed over 700,000 blood lead records provided by the California Department of Public Health, flight records from the Federal Aviation Administration, and weather data available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

PUBLIC ZOOM LINK & DIAL-IN INFORMATION (See further below for Instructions)
Please click the following link to join the webinar:
https://sccgov-org.zoom.us/j/93339943986 (recommended).
You may also call into the meeting by smartphone at: (669) 219-2599, Webinar ID 93339943986# (participant ID not required)

PUBLIC SPEAKER ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS
Spoken public comments will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. If you wish to speak, click on the link above to access the Zoom-based meeting.

Please read the following instructions carefully.

  1. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in-browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30+, Firefox 27+, Microsoft Edge 12+ or Safari 7+. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer.
  2. You will be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak.
  3. When the Chairperson calls for the item on which you wish to speak, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak.
  4. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted.
[translations omitted]
 
I predict Dr. Zahran will find a relationship, no matter how tenuous, and will state, "No level of exposure is safe."
https://economics.colostate.edu/author/szahran/

The good doctor already published a paper with his conclusions in 2017 in a paper studying lead exposure from airports in Michigan. Why do you think the county hired him? One of his conclusions was: societal damage from aviation gas amounts to $10/gallon. The game is rigged.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691686
 
Domenick said:
The good doctor already published a paper with his conclusions in 2017 in a paper studying lead exposure from airports in Michigan. Why do you think the county hired him? One of his conclusions was: societal damage from aviation gas amounts to $10/gallon. The game is rigged.
Click to expand...

I have no dog in that particular race but doing a bit of looking at Ms. Cindy Chavez led me to believe that the fix was already in.
 
I have been flying piston singles on 100ll since 1983, I also reload ammunition. Two years ago I was curious and had a heavy metals blood test. It came back undetectable. This stuff is crapola.
 
Domenick said:
I predict Dr. Zahran will find a relationship, no matter how tenuous, and will state, "No level of exposure is safe."
https://economics.colostate.edu/author/szahran/

The good doctor already published a paper with his conclusions in 2017 in a paper studying lead exposure from airports in Michigan. Why do you think the county hired him? One of his conclusions was: societal damage from aviation gas amounts to $10/gallon. The game is rigged.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691686
Click to expand...
I suspected as much while reading the email. The County has already declared their intention to close the airport, and has stopped accepting federal money, in order to make that possible.
 
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Domenick said:
I predict Dr. Zahran will find a relationship, no matter how tenuous, and will state, "No level of exposure is safe."
https://economics.colostate.edu/author/szahran/

The good doctor already published a paper with his conclusions in 2017 in a paper studying lead exposure from airports in Michigan. Why do you think the county hired him? One of his conclusions was: societal damage from aviation gas amounts to $10/gallon. The game is rigged.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691686
Click to expand...

This is where I have trouble with any science today. No matter the topic, the scientific process has been heavily tainted by politics and money. Research today is funded to support a pre-determined hypothesis. These researchers know better than to bite the hand that feeds them, or else lose tons of future revenue for themselves. The researchers themselves are handpicked by the politicians and lawyers to defend whatever case they already know in their mind to be true, or at least most beneficial to themselves.
 
Let me guess... some developer has some politician (s) in their pocket, and they are all looking at Reid-Hillview Airport the same way a lion looks at a gazelle. KSMO all over again...

Bay are real estate is at premium... but could be crashing soon as many companies are leaving the area..
 
midwestpa24 said:
This is where I have trouble with any science today. No matter the topic, the scientific process has been heavily tainted by politics and money. Research today is funded to support a pre-determined hypothesis. These researchers know better than to bite the hand that feeds them, or else lose tons of future revenue for themselves. The researchers themselves are handpicked by the politicians and lawyers to defend whatever case they already know in their mind to be true, or at least most beneficial to themselves.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's valid to extrapolate individual cases of impropriety to science as a whole. People I know who have participated in writing grant proposals say that funding in general does not work in the way you describe.
 
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Palmpilot said:
I don't think it's valid to extrapolate individual cases of impropriety to science as a whole. People I know who have participating in writing grant proposals say that funding in general does not work that way.
Click to expand...

I'd completely agree with Palmpilot here. Looks like Zahran is a Sociologist, now in the Economics department at Colorado State.

Many would not associate that kind of work with the word "science".
 
I corrected date in the thread title to match the email.
 
Palmpilot said:
I don't think it's valid to extrapolate individual cases of impropriety to science as a whole. People I know who have participated in writing grant proposals say that funding in general does not work in the way you describe.
Click to expand...
People I know that write grants would disagree in some cases. Anecdotal but enough doubt for me to question everything.
 
midwestpa24 said:
This is where I have trouble with any science today. No matter the topic, the scientific process has been heavily tainted by politics and money.
Click to expand...
No, science doesn't work like that. The universe doesn't care about anyone's politics.

midwestpa24 said:
Research today is funded to support a pre-determined hypothesis. These researchers know better than to bite the hand that feeds them, or else lose tons of future revenue for themselves.
Click to expand...
Funding doesn't work that way in most cases. There are some groups that cherry-pick research and researchers- big tobacco research, anyone? That doesn't work for long if the science from other researchers shows that the theories promoted by those groups is incorrect.

midwestpa24 said:
The researchers themselves are handpicked by the politicians and lawyers to defend whatever case they already know in their mind to be true, or at least most beneficial to themselves.
Click to expand...
In court cases, public hearings, and similar political actions? Yes- "expert witnesses". Some of these "researchers", like any group of humans, place money or attention above the best knowledge currently available.

For research papers? No. I certainly don't have politicians or lawyers looking at my work. I'm not talking about pre-print servers- anyone can post a "pre-print", even if they are not a scientist at all, although the scientific societies are working to change that. Unfortunately, people have been posting pre-prints without actually submitting them to the journals. Predatory journals are another source of bad information. These "journals" ride on the "open-access" trend. Journals traditionally allow access to articles to their members of the learned societies, who pay dues, and for a fee to non-members; article submission is free. Open access turns that around, where the articles are available to everyone for no cost, but the author(s) pay fees for article submission to cover the costs of editing and production. Real open-access journals are peer-reviewed, with some review of the methodology used for the experiments. Predatory journals will publish anything, and do not provide peer-review nor editing services. Because they simply publish anything, political groups use them to write "manuscripts" with no work behind them, which are then used to push their agenda.
 
Domenick said:
I predict Dr. Zahran will find a relationship, no matter how tenuous, and will state, "No level of exposure is safe."
https://economics.colostate.edu/author/szahran/

The good doctor already published a paper with his conclusions in 2017 in a paper studying lead exposure from airports in Michigan. Why do you think the county hired him? One of his conclusions was: societal damage from aviation gas amounts to $10/gallon. The game is rigged.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/691686
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links. Following links from the Colorado State University page led to the full text of the Michigan paper here:

https://www.researchgate.net/public...d_Aviation_Gasoline_on_Blood_Lead_in_Children

I have also attached the pdf.
 

Attachments

  • AviationGasolineZahranIverson2017.pdf
    439.8 KB · Views: 2
So, how will the GU100 announcement play out in the local policitcs of using lead to close the airport?

Tim
 
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For another study about lead in children, that mentions all kinds of sources of airborne lead, but DOESN'T mention avgas or airports, Google "NCBI Moody Grady
Lead Emissions and Population Vulnerability in the Detroit (Michigan, USA) Metropolitan Area, 2006–2013: A Spatial and Temporal Analysis" (Sorry, but I just joined today and can't post links yet.)

This study focused on "Environmental Racism" rather than on avgas as the cause of airborne lead exposure to children. Here's an excerpt, to give you an idea of sources of airborne lead that were considered:

"Lead in an important toxin in old industrial urban environments—the source of which may be from historically emitted leaded gasoline, smelters, iron and steel production, lead-acid-battery manufacturing, nonferrous (brass and bronze) foundries, landfills, waste incinerators, sewage sludge incinerators, hazardous waste sites, power plants (refineries/coal burning), and older homes that contain lead based paint/pipes. It is well established that air lead and deposition levels can be elevated in areas without adequate air emission control equipment from coal burning power plants, coking operations, iron and steel manufacturing, oil refining, smelting, and waste incineration. Importantly, each of these industry types emits lead into the DMA’s City of Detroit located in Wayne County. There is also evidence of siting selection preference for these facilities in segregated and low-income and/or minority communities in addition to unequal enforcement of their air emissions permits.

Residents living near these industrial facilities or working in them have greater potential exposure to lead laden air and dust. Children are most susceptible because of their small size and developing physiology and may inhale lead from the air and ingest lead from water and/or soil (dermal absorption is negligible) in places where lead accumulates."

The manipulation of the lead monitoring at San Carlos airport was so brazen and shameful that it made me skeptical of everything else done by EPA's air division and BAAQMD. Other airports (such as Pamona) successfully fought the improper location of monitors. Look closely at the placement of the monitors and where there were no monitors. Also, the same bollixed EPA study included monitors at KRHV. Were they properly placed? What were the results?
 
Daleandee said:
I have no dog in that particular race but doing a bit of looking at Ms. Cindy Chavez led me to believe that the fix was already in.
Click to expand...

Agreed, she strikes me as the type who'd send in the heavy equipment under cover of darkness if she doesn't get her way.
 
Thanks for the info and links.

As an aviation professional who owes his livelihood to the training I received from the RHV community, this is personal for me. Although I am thankful to never need to step foot in California again, I am wholeheartedly supportive of the fight to save RHV.

I made a donation to the www.savereidhillview.org folks and commented in one of the local opinion forums.

Reading through the news from the South Bay and seeing the childish way the locals run the place, it's obvious they are doomed to fail at some point. I'm sure glad we sold my late parents' home for huge bucks before the upcoming economic and real estate collapse!
 
My questions:
  • In the area tested, do the houses have more lead paint than the control region?
  • Where was the control region?
  • What methodology was used to determine the source of the lead?
  • Can tetraethyl lead ingestion be isolated from other lead contamination in humans?
 
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