Long Beach, California is observing National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week from October 22 to 28. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services' Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP) is spearheading a week-long campaign geared towards educating the locals about the risks of lead exposure, as posted on their facebook page.
Young children are most vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can have detrimental effects on their development and health. The Bureau of Environmental Health says children can be exposed to lead through diverse sources such as ingesting lead-tainted dust, deteriorating lead-based paint, lead-contaminated soil, and even lead brought home unwittingly on parental clothing. Hobbies involving lead products may also expose children to risk.
The Long Beach CLPPP works alongside the Lead Hazard Control Program, offering lead inspection and risk assessments to owners of multiple-unit properties. Specifically, they aim to mitigate lead exposure from airport operations by liaising closely with Airport tenants. As mentioned in a press release, the Long Beach Airport is a frontrunner in the move to unleaded fuel, reducing lead air pollution from small aircraft using leaded aviation gas.
First made available at the Long Beach Airport in August 2023 by Signature Flight Support @ Aeroplex, unleaded fuel became a feasible option after the Long Beach City Council waived fuel flowage fees for unleaded fuel in December 2022. Plans are in place to further encourage the use of unleaded fuel at the airport. The Long Beach Airport supports the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to implement federal regulations concerning lead emissions and aviation fuel.
