“It’s a city park run by the City of Portland, that has all these initiatives to ban diesel and lower emissions while also saying we’re fine with using leaded gas in one of our parks and exposing our citizens to it.” says Ryan Pittel, a longtime resident of North Portland and a board member of the Kenton Neighborhood Association.Īt Portland International Raceway, about 40% of the events use leaded gasoline. It’s not just the urban proximity that sets Portland International Raceway apart from these other tracks.Įven more striking is that the racetrack is technically a city park, a fact that neighborhood advocates say makes the lead exposure even more egregious. Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VirginiaĪ map of places children are often present within a two mile radius of PRI Portland International Raceway, Portland, Oregon Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio ![]() Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New York Nola Motorsports Park, Avondale, Louisiana Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Florida WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca Monterey, California To compile this list of tracks, the Guardian identified tracks that hosted SCCA and SVRA (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association) events. Portland International Raceway publishes leaded fuel sales numbers on its website, and sold about 1,500 gallons of fuel in 2021, about 50% of its total fuel sales. Laguna Seca management reported that the track sold 11,000 gallons of leaded fuel from April 2021 through April 2022. The only exceptions were the two publicly-owned tracks, Portland International Raceway and Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, owned by Monterey county, California. Most of the track organizations either did not respond or declined to provide information. The Guardian reached out to over a dozen of the largest tracks, asking for sales numbers of leaded fuel. Eric Prill, the vice-president of Road Racing at the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America), one of the largest amateur racing organizations in the country, says that roughly 15-18% of the fuel used at major events is leaded. Leaded fuel is still regularly being used at racetracks around the US in a variety of sports car road races, and vintage car and motorcycle racing. In response, Nascar, one of the top motorsports organizations in the world, stopped using leaded fuel in 2007. Because of the risk of lead exposure, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continued to pressure the racing industry to stop using leaded fuel. However, an exemption was made for “off-road” vehicles, such as farm machinery, marine engines and race cars. In 1996, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the sale of leaded fuel for passenger cars as part of the Clean Air Act. Later in life, lead exposure is linked to early death from stroke and certain heart diseases. It can lower their IQ and cause other neurological problems. It travels from their blood into their brain and other organs. However, in the 1950s, researchers discovered that when a child is exposed to lead – even in small amounts which would be safe for an adult – it can have devastating consequences. Lead began to be used in gasoline in the 1920s as a means of improving engine performance. Spectators watch as vehicles head the starting line at the Portland International Raceway during a drag racing event on April 15, 2023, in Portland, OR. “Philosophically, it just doesn’t seem right that this is something that’s owned and operated by the city for recreational purposes,” said Lanciotti. ![]() Portland recently announced a goal to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Residents say the decision to allow leaded gas at the racetrack is especially confounding given Portland’s reputation as one of the greenest enclaves in the country. In response to the Guardian’s findings, it said: “Portland Parks & Recreation’s highest priority is public safety by following the guidance of public health and environmental protection agencies.” It has rebuffed years of calls by residents to address the lead emissions. The city of Portland – which owns and operates the track – does not share this conclusion. When Hollingsworth was asked what he would do if he lived in one of the many houses bordering the Portland raceway, his answer was simple: The researchers who developed the methodology – Alex Hollingsworth, an associate professor in the school of public and environmental affairs at Indiana University, and Ivan Rudik, an assistant professor in the school of applied economics and management at Cornell University – say that students living as much as 25 miles from a given racetrack can be affected by its lead emissions. Four maps of the two mile perimeters around racetracks
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