What San Diego officials will do — or not — with the nation’s worst lead-polluting airport

It’s National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, and San Diego has a national lead problem.

An inewsource investigation this month revealed that the highest lead-polluting general aviation airport in the U.S. is in San Diego, the city-owned Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

To follow up, inewsource has asked a range of officials what can be done to change that.

Two years ago, Mayor Todd Gloria and others rolled out an unleaded fuel program for the airport’s piston engine planes. Since then, only 168 gallons of UL 94 have been sold at the airport compared with nearly 1.5 million gallons of leaded fuel, a nearly 9,000-fold difference.

A large portion of traffic at the airport — known as MYF by the Federal Aviation Administration — consists of flight training operations run by private companies whose planes could mostly run on the unleaded option.

For decades, lead has been known to cause permanent damage to the brain and central nervous system, and is especially dangerous to children. There is no safe level of exposure.

Following our investigation, County Public Health Officer Sayone Thihalolipavan has begun to probe officials as to what steps can be taken locally to mitigate, abate and investigate the impacts of the lead pollution.

“There are many things in public health that we cannot solve, but this is solvable,” Thihalolipavan said in an interview. “We know what the point source is and we can do this. We have done this for so many other aspects of lead poisoning prevention.”

Thihalolipavan has alerted pediatricians in the area to factor MYF lead pollution while screening children and has also begun looking for solutions to curb pollution, such as a potential program to help pilots certify their planes for unleaded fuel use. 

He has also begun outreach to state and local air pollution regulators.

He said the city should consider how to address the impact of flight schools, which conduct touch-and-go flights that circle the community in flight patterns that fly over more than 30 schools in the area.

Last week, we reached out to federal and state politicians as well as county supervisors, City Council members and their Election Day challengers, seeking interviews or answers to a series of questions. Twenty-two politicians and candidates did not send a statement on the issue.

Only one person granted an interview. Most did not answer our questions directly.

Those questions were:

• What do you think of the lead pollution in this area and what should be done about it?
• What specific actions, if any, will you take now that you’re aware of this issue, given that leaving the sale of unleaded fuel up to choice has not been effective?
• What questions do you want answered about this issue?
• Would you support requiring flight schools operating at MYF, which account for a large share of leaded fuel use, to transition to unleaded fuel, and if so, on what timeline?
• Given that the airport’s own master plan data appears to have crossed the threshold that should trigger air monitoring, would you call for the Air Pollution Control District to conduct lead monitoring at MYF?
• Would you call on county public health officials to begin targeted blood-lead testing for children living near MYF, similar to what’s been done in Santa Clara County and parts of Colorado?
• Would you support banning leaded fuel use, like Santa Clara County did, or blocking touch-and-go traffic like Torrance?

The only official interviewed was Nicole Crosby, who is running against Richard Bailey in the campaign for San Diego City Council District 2, which does not contain the Montgomery-Gibbs airport. 

Crosby spoke with inewsource, and issued a statement following the conversation offering possible ways to address the pollution.

Other written responses reiterated support for working on the FAA’s timeline to transition to unleaded fuel by 2030, citing fear of litigation or of losing federal funding if done earlier. 

A few supported more of a local effort while a city spokesperson praised San Diego’s efforts to date.

The airport opened in 1937 as Gibbs Field, and Army Air Corps cadets once trained to fly there. San Diego has owned it since 1947 and a city spokesperson noted that it now “not only supports air ambulance, law enforcement, fire rescue and light cargo, but it also provides education to help people pursue becoming commercial airline pilots, mechanics and airport professionals to perform jobs such as transporting the ill from remote locations, performing emergency rescue operations, fighting wildfires and supporting law enforcement missions that keep our communities safe.”

The spokesperson’s statement also said the airport supports about 1,400 local jobs and generates approximately $180 million in economic activity annually.

“Both in its investment and education of best practices, the City remains fully committed to meeting the FAA goal of eliminating leaded fuel by the end of 2030,” it said. “Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport was the first in the region to make unleaded fuel available two years ago.”

The spokesperson also said that Jorge Rubio, the city’s chief of airports, has been an advocate for the transition of general aviation airports to unleaded fuels, and has offered the FAA recommendations for promoting the transition, including creating a national education campaign for pilots, providing financial incentives to help aircraft owners obtain the supplemental type certificates needed to use the fuels, expanding fuel distribution and availability nationwide and establishing a centralized platform where pilots can share and access operational data.

Below are the answers we received.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin:

“No child should be exposed to dangerous levels of airborne lead pollution simply because of where they live or attend school. These public safety concerns must be taken seriously, and federal, state, and local agencies must work together to protect our communities from lead emissions. 

“That is why in 2024, I joined my colleagues in urging the Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ban leaded aviation gasoline. That same year, I helped pass the most recent FAA Reauthorization Act, which directed the FAA to eliminate leaded aviation fuel in the general aviation fleet by 2030. I will continue pushing for federal solutions while working with state and local partners to protect the health and safety of our communities.”

District 4 San Diego County Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe:

“The findings in this report raise serious public health concerns for communities surrounding Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Lead exposure can cause lasting harm, particularly to children, and we have a responsibility to understand the risks and protect our communities.

“The transition away from leaded aviation fuel is already underway at the federal and state levels, but we should be looking for ways to accelerate that transition locally while ensuring the health of surrounding communities is protected.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria:

“Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversees aviation safety and must direct the national transition to unleaded fuel, the City is committed to working alongside federal partners to support and advance the effort to encourage pilots to use unleaded fuel, and we have already taken proactive steps to support this transition. Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport was the first in the region to make unleaded fuel available, demonstrating its leadership and dedication to reducing lead emissions.

“The City itself has been a leader in educating pilots on the benefits of unleaded fuel for the community and for their aircraft; seeking to partner with flight schools to provide the same education; and looking to develop incentives to try to price match the unleaded fuel as much as possible. The City’s Chief of Airports has also contributed significantly to the development of FAA-sponsored guidance that is now helping general aviation airports nationwide navigate the transition to unleaded fuel.

“However, the success of the transition from leaded to unleaded aviation fuel also depends on the Federal Aviation Administration certifying a universally accepted replacement, resolving supply and infrastructure challenges, educating aircraft owners and ensuring that safety remains the top priority throughout the process. The City, as the Airport sponsor, is bound by federal grant assurances and the 2024 Reauthorization Act, which prohibits public airports from restricting 100LL fuel before Jan. 1, 2031. Mandating that flight schools use only unleaded fuel may subject the Airport to Federal Aviation Administration enforcement and jeopardize federal funding designated for airfield safety improvements. In addition, UL94 is currently not available to be used with all aircraft and could potentially cause a safety issue for those aircraft that cannot use it.

“We will continue to educate pilots and develop incentives to price match the unleaded fuel as much as possible. We also support conducting lead monitoring at the Airport and publicly sharing the results to promote transparency and community awareness. In addition, the City advocates for County public health officials to assess whether targeted testing for those living around the airport is appropriate.

District 2 San Diego City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell:

“The City’s authority to regulate aircraft emissions is limited by federal law, and the Federal Aviation Administration oversees many aspects of aircraft operations.

“Our office has brought this to the attention of APCD [San Diego County Air Pollution Control District] staff as the Councilmember is a member of their governing board, but SDAPCD only regulates stationary sources of pollution. They cannot regulate planes, again that is largely the responsibility of the FAA and federal EPA. As for the other jurisdictions, they have been sued and taken to court for their actions again since this issue largely falls within the jurisdiction of the federal government…. 

“In conclusion, I want to reiterate that the City’s authority to regulate aircraft emissions is limited by federal law, and the Federal Aviation Administration oversees many aspects of aircraft operations.”

District 7 City Councilmember Raul Campillo:

“Since being elected, I’ve tackled this issue head on. Without my advocacy, we wouldn’t have unleaded fuel at the Montgomery-Gibbs Airport. Finding ways to incentivize the use of unleaded fuel is critically important. As the father of two young children, I want every family to have safe, clean air.”

District 2 City Council candidate Nicole Crosby:

“While serving on Clairemont Town Council, my neighbors in Clairemont raised alarm bells about Montgomery Gibbs Field because of the environmental, health, noise, and safety concerns. We owe it to our children, families, and seniors to find long and short term solutions to all of these problems caused by the airport.

“In the short term, the City may be able to immediately enforce operational controls by updating lease terms for airport tenants, capping high-frequency flight training maneuvers, and restricting leaded fuel sales. In parallel, regional environmental and public health agencies, such as the County, and Pollution Control District, should deploy real-time perimeter air monitoring and targeted blood-lead testing to establish empirical baseline data for nearby communities. To accelerate long-term transition timelines, we as a City need to engage federal regulators on high-octane unleaded alternatives, or other solutions they may offer, while actively monitoring the environment around the airport. 

“Long term, I support exploring options to transfer airport operations to Brown Field and redevelop the airport into affordable housing, a park, and open space. I fully understand that executing this transition requires navigating complex legal, environmental, and operational prerequisites.  The City must conduct environmental site assessments to quantify soil lead remediation costs, establish plans to relocate emergency flight services, and structure land transfers to preserve permanent public control and housing affordability.”