The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it has found emissions from small planes run on leaded fuel can cause and contribute to air pollution, posing a danger to public health, a finding that marks a significant step toward regulation.

The final determination now obligates the EPA to propose standards for lead emissions in certain aircraft engines, under the Clean Air Act. The Federal Aviation Administration is now tasked with coming up with standards that address the properties of aircraft fuel to help control or eliminate lead emissions.

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“The science is clear: Exposure to lead can cause irreversible and life-long health effects in children,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a written statement. “Aircraft that use leaded fuel are the dominant source of lead emissions in our air. With today’s action, the Biden-Harris Administration can move forward in the process to propose new standards to protect all communities from the serious threat of lead pollution from aircraft.”

Aircraft that operate on leaded aviation gasoline are usually small airplanes that carry two to 10 passengers and are generally nearly half a century old. Commercial planes, however, do not operate on leaded fuel.

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In 2022, the FAA, along with partners in the aviation community, launched the Eliminate Aviation Gasoline Lead Emissions initiative meant to eliminate leaded aviation fuels in piston-engine aircraft by the end of 2030.

Exposure to lead can seriously affect children’s health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which includes damage to the brain and nervous system, slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems.