Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility released today its third comprehensive report regarding a 7,700-horsepower natural gas compressor station that Spectra Energy plans to build in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
The report—a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the human health impacts of soil, groundwater, air and noise pollution that will result from the compressor station—concludes that the project is dangerous to human health and that no regulatory framework can make this facility safe for the surrounding community or for residents of the Commonwealth.
The report specifically addresses:
- Health risks related to existing soil and groundwater contamination at the proposed site;
- Health risks of cumulative exposure to air toxics associated with the proposed compressor station;
- Noise pollution generated by the proposed compressor station.
Greater Boston PSR calls on Governor Baker, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to halt the construction of the compressor station in Weymouth.
“As physicians, we can predict with a high degree of confidence that the toxic and carcinogenic emissions that will be released from this plant will increase risks of cancer and other chronic diseases in Weymouth, in Quincy, in Hingham, in Braintree, and depending upon the winds, those risks could extend up into Dorchester and South Boston and even downtown Boston,” says Dr. Phil Landrigan, a pediatrician and director of Global Public Health Program and Global Pollution Observatory at Boston College.
“This compressor station is going to emit benzene and formaldehyde on a daily basis in the course of regular operations,” Landrigan continued. “Both of those chemicals can cause cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma. Those carcinogens are going to increase risks of cancer in Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, and parts of Boston.”
About Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility
The members of Greater Boston PSR, which includes experts in public health, cancer epidemiology, occupational medicine, environmental health, emergency medicine, disaster preparedness, and the health effects of climate change, have detailed their grave concerns about the health impact and emergency response hazardsof the proposed gas compressor station. To learn more about Greater Boston PSR’s work, visit the GBPSR website and follow GBPSR on Facebook and Twitter.
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