Predictions of Aircraft Pollutants from Expanded Flight Operations at El Toro, Ca - a Public Health Issue?

Abstract

An independent environmental evaluation has been made of the expected pollution caused by airplane fuel burning from 240 commercial flights each day (one every 6 minutes) on the health of the population residing in the landing and take-off pattern (LTO) in Orange County, CA. The source of the proposed pollution is from conversion of the El Toro Marine Air Base to civilian airport operations. Calculations have been made to estimate the proposed pollutant input from fuel burning in the LTO pattern using as examples, two airplanes - the Boeing 727-200 (three engines) and the Boeing 767-200 (two engines). If all aircraft were the Boeing 727, the amount of fuel burned would be 338,400 kg each day and, for the Boeing 767, the amount would be 410,400 kg. The fuel consumed daily in the LTO by the more efficient Boeing 767 would emit combustion products including hydrocarbons - 1515 kg; carbon monoxide -6960 kg; nitrogen oxides - 5144 kg, as well as soot particles, sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds and other byproducts. These pollutant chemicals would be dispersed into a hypothetical South Coast Air Basin “bath tub” of (48 x 24 x 0.244) km3 when a meteorological inversion of 350 m is present, see Figure 1. The point source for aircraft pollutant emission at the airport is defined as having an average ground level height of 106 m above sea level to the inversion layer of 350 m with dimensions of (1 x 1 x 0.244) km3. For carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and other contaminants, the concentration and exposure time are of particular importance to the health of people living in the region. Under meteorological conditions of ocean fog in the mountainous terrain, often prevailing in the South Coast Air Basin, the expected concentration value for carbon monoxide would be 0.0285 PPM. For nitrogen oxides, the expected concentration value of 0.021 PPM, would be 1/4 the guideline value of 0.08 PPM for 24-hour exposure based on epidemiological studies of significant changes in the pulmonary function of asthmatics. The value for hydrocarbons, would be 0.0062 PPM. These values, determined from 240 flights/day, currently are below the levels responsible for significant health problems to the population. However, during certain meteorological conditions where the inversion layer “lid” is continuous for four days or longer and/or the El Toro airport use is expanded to more flights per day, the values for