Safe Handling of AvGas

Jaybird180

Jaybird180

Final Approach
Joined
Dec 28, 2010
Messages
9,036
Location
Near DC
Display Name
Display name:
Jaybird180
What precautions do you employ when refueling and or taking fuel samples during preflight?

Reading up on AvGas is says that TEL is "highly toxic". I don't know what that means, as I don't know anyone who died from spilling it.

I wash my hands after preflight. Should I be more concerned and take additional precautions? Wear rubber gloves, perhaps?
 
Jaybird180 said:
What precautions do you employ when refueling and or taking fuel samples during preflight?

Reading up on AvGas is says that TEL is "highly toxic". I don't know what that means, as I don't know anyone who died from spilling it.

I wash my hands after preflight. Should I be more concerned and take additional precautions? Wear rubber gloves, perhaps?
Click to expand...

In adults, it takes a fairly high level of lead in the bloodstream before any symptoms of lead poisoning occur. Typical adult victims of lead poisoning are bridge painters who are exposed to it while renovating older bridges. It's unlikely that any GA pilot would be exposed to enough lead for poisoning to occur. Children are far more sensitive to lead, I wouldn't let them get near the fuel sample or even smell it. All of us grew up with a certain level of lead and weren't too severely affected by it but there's no reason to take chances.

The question for me is what do you do with the fuel sample once you've examined it? You don't want to pour it on the ground, the gasoline will evaporate and ultimately degrade, but the lead will wind up in the groundwater.
 
FormerHangie said:
In adults, it takes a fairly high level of lead in the bloodstream before any symptoms of lead poisoning occur. Typical adult victims of lead poisoning are bridge painters who are exposed to it while renovating older bridges. It's unlikely that any GA pilot would be exposed to enough lead for poisoning to occur. Children are far more sensitive to lead, I wouldn't let them get near the fuel sample or even smell it. All of us grew up with a certain level of lead and weren't too severely affected by it but there's no reason to take chances.

The question for me is what do you do with the fuel sample once you've examined it? You don't want to pour it on the ground, the gasoline will evaporate and ultimately degrade, but the lead will wind up in the groundwater.
Click to expand...

I use the sump cups with the strainer, and I put the sample back in the tanks
 
I wear gloves. Disposable "exam gloves" are a few $ per box at Costco. A box lives in my hangar.

Like Tim, I use a fuel strainer (GATS jar). The airport & environmental regulations prohibit dumping on the ground.
 
Jaybird180 said:
What precautions do you employ when refueling and or taking fuel samples during preflight?

Reading up on AvGas is says that TEL is "highly toxic". I don't know what that means, as I don't know anyone who died from spilling it.

I wash my hands after preflight. Should I be more concerned and take additional precautions? Wear rubber gloves, perhaps?
Click to expand...

I've used gloves dealing with both cars and airplanes when fueling or sump. For oil changes and brake fluid I have box of nitrile gloves (costco). Even keep a few pair in the trunk (both car & airplane) along with the tools and a couple quarts of oil.
 
I've been spilling a bit (while sumping) on my hands for decades. No symptoms of anything yet. I'll let you know.
 
FormerHangie said:
The question for me is what do you do with the fuel sample once you've examined it? You don't want to pour it on the ground, the gasoline will evaporate and ultimately degrade, but the lead will wind up in the groundwater.
Click to expand...

It's good for killing weeds that grow in the cracks on my ramp.
 
write-stuff said:
I've been spilling a bit (while sumping) on my hands for decades. No symptoms of anything yet. I'll let you know.
Click to expand...

Could be like putting a frog in a pot on the stove and turning up the temp in small degrees:idea:
 
Read the MSDS on the various chemical compounds that constitute 100LL and you will run screaming from the planet. :yes:
 
Gasoline (lead or not) is bad for your skin. Do it enough and you end up with hands like mine that will break out at the drop of a hat.

Benzine and stuff will get through your skin and can be tough on the liver.

But you probably will not die from it as long as you refrain from smoking while refueling.

As mentioned, if you dump 100LL on the ground the lead will end up in the ground water around the airport. Put it back in the airplane and the lead ends up being dispersed into the air and then settles into the ground water over a much larger area. But, cars were doing the same for 30 years...
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Gasoline (lead or not) is bad for your skin. Do it enough and you end up with hands like mine that will break out at the drop of a hat.

Benzine and stuff will get through your skin and can be tough on the liver.

But you probably will not die from it as long as you refrain from smoking while refueling.

As mentioned, if you dump 100LL on the ground the lead will end up in the ground water around the airport. Put it back in the airplane and the lead ends up being dispersed into the air and then settles into the ground water over a much larger area. But, cars were doing the same for 30 years...
Click to expand...
Unless you drink well water, what's the problem? Serious question.
 
When I sump at an airport that has that big sign at the fuel island: "Do not dispose of fuel on the ground, ramp or adjacent area" I go into the FBO, get an old coke can out of the trash, tear the lid off, put the sumped fuel in the can, and set it on fire. Of course, I have to take it a safe distance from the fuel island, but that's the way I do it.

I don't want the sumped contents with some water back in my tank. Fortunately, the products of combustion in the can always vaporize any remaining water.
 
Not flying power lately, but I was in the habit of using disposable gloves. Of course I remember ducking under the wing as a teenager and always getting a few drops of 100LL on my scalp from the overflow dripping. Avoid contact with the stuff if you can. There was a post(might have been the red board) some pilot was bitching because he couldn't get a little kid(small arms) to reach in the tank and retrieve a fuel stick he dropped. Moron.
 
The amount of TEL in 100LL is miniscule when compared to leaded gas that we used in cars. It's just not good if you accumulate it by, I dunno... Bathing in it daily? Or something.

Make sure not to enjoy the exhaust fumes too much and you'll be fine.
 
zaitcev said:
The amount of TEL in 100LL is miniscule when compared to leaded gas that we used in cars.
Click to expand...

Bull hockey. The amount of TEL in 100LL is many times higher than car gas EVER had. It's only "low lead" compared to the old 100/130 avgas.

Further leaded auto gas wasn't innocuous either. Use of leaded auto fuels was a bigger contributor to lead levels in children even when not exposed to friable lead paint.

Of course, as pointed out, gasoline of any sort is full of bad stuff. You should take precautions with handling it not only for its toxicity but also because the stuff is a fire hazard. I've seen several planes lost in defueling accidents of aircraft. I've helped put out a neighbor's car on fire in his garage (actually my roommate was attacking it with the garden hose as we pushed the burning car out of the building).
 
Jaybird180 said:
Ditto, but I'm wondering if I under-appreciate how dangerous the stuff really is.
Click to expand...

Gloves are a good idea if you typically get it on your hands. Children and women in child bearing years should not be coming in contact.
 
Last edited:
docmirror said:
When I sump at an airport that has that big sign at the fuel island: "Do not dispose of fuel on the ground, ramp or adjacent area" I go into the FBO, get an old coke can out of the trash, tear the lid off, put the sumped fuel in the can, and set it on fire. Of course, I have to take it a safe distance from the fuel island, but that's the way I do it.
Click to expand...

I am liking this idea! :yes:

There's no "happily watching a fire" smiley, so I'll go with this one: :mad3:
 
docmirror said:
When I sump at an airport that has that big sign at the fuel island: "Do not dispose of fuel on the ground, ramp or adjacent area" I go into the FBO, get an old coke can out of the trash, tear the lid off, put the sumped fuel in the can, and set it on fire. Of course, I have to take it a safe distance from the fuel island, but that's the way I do it.

I don't want the sumped contents with some water back in my tank. Fortunately, the products of combustion in the can always vaporize any remaining water.
Click to expand...

Why not get a GATTS jar and pour the fuel back in the tank?:confused:
 
Dump it on the ramp and don't look back.

Just don't bathe in it and you'll be fine.
 
Henning said:
Why not get a GATTS jar and pour the fuel back in the tank?:confused:
Click to expand...

Why get a GATTS jar? I just use the simple ubiquitous sample tube with the phillips bit on the end. Fuel clean and water free? Back in the tank it goes. Fuel contaminated? I don't want it back in my tank anyway and I've got bigger problems to contend with.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Why get a GATTS jar? I just use the simple ubiquitous sample tube with the phillips bit on the end. Fuel clean and water free? Back in the tank it goes. Fuel contaminated? I don't want it back in my tank anyway and I've got bigger problems to contend with.
Click to expand...

GATTS jar cleans the contamination out. It's not infrequent that one gets a small bit of water or sediment out of the tank, that's why we sump them. GATTS jar is a lot cheaper than the fine you'll face at many airports. As for starting a fire in a Coke can, that will eventually be a 'bad deal'.
 
Last edited:
Henning said:
GATTS jar cleans the contamination out. It's not infrequent that one gets a small bit of water or sediment out of the tank, that's why we sump them. GATTS jar is a lot cheaper than the fine you'll face at many airports. As for starting a fire in a Coke can, that will eventually be a 'bad deal'.
Click to expand...

Fine?

Please.
 
Henning said:
Why not get a GATTS jar and pour the fuel back in the tank?:confused:
Click to expand...

Fine by me.

Why not toss it in a coke can and burn it? I can afford the 11 cents of fuel lost. and I'm a seriously cheap SOB.

<edit: GATS jar: $18 plus shipping = $21.54. Fuel burn per sump: 11 cents. I get almost 200 sumps for fuel before reaching the cost of the GATS jar.>
 
Last edited:
Henning said:
GATTS jar cleans the contamination out. It's not infrequent that one gets a small bit of water or sediment out of the tank, that's why we sump them. GATTS jar is a lot cheaper than the fine you'll face at many airports. As for starting a fire in a Coke can, that will eventually be a 'bad deal'.
Click to expand...

Ya know - sometimes it's amazing to watch people get themselves worked up about something. I started flying in CA in the 70s. Back then the enviro-nazis weren't in aviation and no one cared. It got worse, and worse, and worse. I looked at the regs of the field I was on very carefully, and strangely enough there was no regulation against an open fire on the flight line. Which, I particularly found interesting in that they had a no smoking reg within 100 feet of any refueling depot. So, I can light the gas on fire at 101 feet away from the fuel depot, but I can't smoke there.

I did this in Co Springs a while back and after I took the sample out of the FBO and over to a dirt apron and burned it, a guy in a twin wondered why I was burning the gas. He had just fueled up is expensive twin and I asked him if he sumped his fuel and he said not for a few years. I just smiled and walked away. Whatever dude...
 
jonnyjetprop said:
Come down to Florida and get caught throwing avgas on the ground. Rick Scott's boys will teach you a lesson.
Click to expand...

Who?

BTW, I've been in florida and threw avgas on the ground. It felt good. I'd do it again.

I've also done it in California....in fact, I've thrown avgas on the ground in about 25 of our illustrious 50 states, and I never felt so alive....
 
SkyHog said:
Who?

BTW, I've been in florida and threw avgas on the ground. It felt good. I'd do it again.

I've also done it in California....in fact, I've thrown avgas on the ground in about 25 of our illustrious 50 states, and I never felt so alive....
Click to expand...

:nonod: sad, oh well, it's your kid inheriting the planet, not mine.
 
Henning said:
:nonod: sad, oh well, it's your kid inheriting the planet, not mine.
Click to expand...

Yep - and all 3 ounces of lead I've dumped over the years will be part of that planet he's inheriting. :rolleyes:

I suppose I could also add that I have a kid because I didn't kill myself playing stupid pilot tricks with dirty gas in my wings.
 
SkyHog said:
Yep - and all 3 ounces of lead I've dumped over the years will be part of that planet he's inheriting. :rolleyes:

I suppose I could also add that I have a kid because I didn't kill myself playing stupid pilot tricks with dirty gas in my wings.
Click to expand...

Times how many people daily? A GATTS jar does the same job without dumping gas on the ground. I hope you teach your kid to have more respect than you do.
 
My first A&P job in aviation was at a small FBO in FL. The IA there used to wash grease off his hands with fuel from the Cessna wing tank sumps.
 
write-stuff said:
I've been spilling a bit (while sumping) on my hands for decades. No symptoms of anything yet. I'll let you know.
Click to expand...

For those of us that grew up in the 60s and 70s siphoning gas from the car (before unleaed fuel) for the lawn mowers and farm equipment(spit spit), we're still alive and healthy, no poisoning. And all that 80 octane leaded fuel I pumped from the truck while in college. I'm still healthy. :goofy::yikes::goofy:
 
kontiki said:
My first A&P job in aviation was at a small FBO in FL. The IA there used to wash grease off his hands with fuel from the Cessna wing tank sumps.
Click to expand...

Used tainted fuel in the spray cleaner to degrease engines for inspections. No EPA catch basin, breathing the mist. Still healthy :goofy::goofy:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top