Media release: Leaded fuel still in use in Aotearoa New Zealand poses ongoing health risks

Leaded petrol may have disappeared from service stations three decades ago, but it is still being used in some light aircraft, helicopters and motor racing in Aotearoa New Zealand, creating an ongoing hazardous source of lead exposure.

A new Briefing from the Public Health Communication Centre by independent researcher Dr John Horrocks and University of Otago Public Health Professor Nick Wilson examines the issue. 

The authors conclude NZ should develop a formal plan to phase out leaded aviation and motor racing fuels and transition to unleaded alternatives, following moves already underway in the United States (US).

"Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no safe level of exposure. Children are particularly vulnerable in terms of harm to brain development, while adults face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, kidney damage and reproductive harms," says Dr Horrocks. “The ongoing concern around the hazard posed by lead has already been highlighted this year by the NZ Government’s directive that all new plumbing products that come into contact with drinking water must be lead-free.”

The new Briefing estimates that the nine million litres of aviation fuel imported into NZ during 2024 contained around five tonnes of elemental lead. The fuel, known as Avgas, is used by many piston-engined light aircraft and some helicopters and contains lead concentrations higher than those permitted in petrol before NZ switched to unleaded fuel in 1996.

The authors note that people handling leaded fuel, working on aircraft engines, or living near airports used by light aircraft may be exposed to lead and other hazardous compounds. Research in the US has found higher blood lead levels among children living close to airports frequently used by piston-engined aircraft.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has identified aviation gasoline as the dominant source of lead emissions to its country's air and is progressing a transition plan to eliminate leaded aviation fuels and approve unleaded alternatives.

Dr Horrocks says NZ should adopt a similar precautionary approach. The Briefing recommends that the Government consider a formal phase-out plan, strengthen health and safety measures around the handling of leaded fuels and establish oversight of the transition process.

Further information on the health harms of lead exposure, the use of leaded fuel in NZ aircraft and in motor racing, health and safety issues, and potential steps in a phase-out process is available in the Briefing’s Appendix