Legislation has been passed to restore funding for a state health study that aims to determine the impact of Logan International Airport on the health of residents living within a five-mile radius. Senator Anthony Petruccelli has ensured that Massport will cover the costs, effectively reversing the budget cuts that had previously threatened the completion of the $1.3 million study. The funding, which had been reduced due to state budget constraints, left approximately $200,000 short of the total needed to finish the research. Petruccelli, who introduced the study as his first piece of legislation when he was a state representative in 2001, expressed disappointment at the initial funding shortfall and committed to finding a way to bring the project to completion. “This (legislation) has been my baby for nearly a decade,” said Petruccelli. “It’s clear we’ve made great efforts to correct the impacts and dangers we can see and hear at Logan but it’s those impacts that are invisible that have always concerned me.” According to the new legislation, Massport will now pay the final $195,000 required to complete the study. Some preliminary findings have already been shared with the public. A preliminary version of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) study released last year indicated that Logan International Airport may be contributing to health issues and increased mortality in the surrounding areas. This was not unexpected for local residents, who had long suspected such a connection. However, data obtained by WBZ two years ago provided further evidence. The station’s analysis of state health records revealed higher-than-average rates of heart disease in Everett, Hull, Malden, Lynn, Medford, and Saugus. Similarly, asthma rates are elevated in Boston, Chelsea, Everett, Lynn, and Revere. “But it’s what was found in the neighborhoods that really caught the attention of Suzanne Condon of the state Health Department,” WBZ reported. “And it’s this simple fact: Lung cancer rates are higher the closer you get to the airport.” Condon, the lead investigator, told the station that smoking is unlikely to be the cause. Yet, the statement from Massport at the time, which suggested that the airport was not the sole contributor, caused frustration among residents. A spokesperson for the Port Authority said “the city of Boston, as well as major highways, also contribute to air pollution and that may be another explanation for the elevated number of diseases in the five-mile area”. However, Massport could not account for other illnesses that may be linked to specific toxins in jet fuel. In 2004, a connection was first reported between Logan International Airport and a high incidence of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) cases in Chelsea, Eastie, and Winthrop. This link was discovered by a former resident who was researching the unusually high number of MS cases in the area and submitted her findings to the DPH. All individuals studied had two things in common: they were diagnosed with MS and lived under or near Logan’s approach and departure paths. Robin Dolan, who has lived with MS since 1992, conducted five years of extensive scientific research into the potential causes of MS in Chelsea, Eastie, and Winthrop. She hopes her study will raise awareness about the high prevalence of the disease in these areas. While she acknowledges that her research may not serve as definitive proof against the expansion of Logan International Airport, Dolan is satisfied with bringing attention to the MS outbreak in these communities. “I have been told not to expect admittance of guilt,” she said. “I just would like awareness that MS may be caused by a state agencies (Massport). The DPH should show sincere concern for, and want to protect, the health of the citizens of Massachusetts. When I get receipt that the study was received by the DPH, even if I never hear from them, I and others will know they know.”
Massport told to fund health study
