“Natural” Gas Compressor Station in Weymouth, Massachusetts
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A Comprehensive Assessment of the Potential Human Health Impacts of a Proposed “Natural” Gas Compressor Station in Weymouth, Massachusetts Released September 24, 2019 A report by: Regina LaRocque, M.D., M.P.H. Board Member, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility Associate Professor of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Brita Lundberg, M.D. Board Member, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility Member, Massachusetts Medical Society Environmental and Occupational Health Committee Zoe Petropoulos, PhD candidate Boston University School of Public Health on behalf of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility Contact: Anna Baker, M.P.H. Executive Director, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility [email protected] (617) 868-3003 Regina LaRocque, M.D., M.P.H. Board, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (617) 519-6705 1" " EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GB PSR) is a non-profit organization of physicians, health professionals and public health experts. In this report, we provide a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the human health impacts of a proposed 7,700-horsepower natural gas compressor station that Spectra Energy proposes to build in Weymouth, Massachusetts. This report focuses on three areas of concern that were inadequately assessed by the Commonwealth’s Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) permitting process: I.! Health Concerns Related to Existing Soil and Groundwater Contamination at the Proposed Site Spectra Energy’s soil and groundwater testing at the proposed site demonstrates high levels of heavy metal contamination, particularly arsenic. Exposure to these heavy metals is associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and impaired neurologic development. Spectra Energy inappropriately claimed that the soil at the site represented “historic fill,” thus exempting these contaminants from their risk assessment. Although this designation is now being challenged by the state, the HIA and the Spectra Energy risk assessment"consequently failed to consider the human health risk of the dispersion of these contaminants during construction and operation at this site. We evaluate the documented soil and groundwater contamination at the proposed site and conclude that excavation of arsenic and other heavy metals poses an unacceptable risk to nearby residents, workers, and users of the adjacent King’s Cove Park, as well as to adjacent fishing stocks. II.! Health Risks of Cumulative Exposures to Air Pollution Associated with the Proposed Compressor Station The environmental exposures that will be introduced into the Fore River Basin by the proposed compressor station will not be singular insults to health that occur in a vacuum. Multiple air pollutants are already elevated above state-approved levels in the Fore River Basin and pose a threat to human health, according to air samples collected by MassDEP and by local residents. Furthermore, rates of certain cancers, heart disease, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – all of which are associated with air pollution -- are already elevated in the Fore River Basin. We provide a quantitative estimate of cancer and non-cancer risks associated with existing air pollutants in the Fore River Basin. We evaluate the additional burden of air pollutants that will be produced by the proposed compressor station and conclude that it poses a threat to human health. 2" " III.! Contributions of the Proposed Facility to Ambient Sound Levels Elevated ambient sound levels are associated with heart and lung disease, mental illness including depression, decreased ability to concentrate, and decreased academic performance in children. Monitoring campaigns have demonstrated nighttime sound levels at residences near the proposed site that are already at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended limit. Routine operation of the proposed compressor station will elevate the sound level at these residences above the WHO recommended levels and intermittent events (e.g. testing the emergency generator scheduled and emergency blowdowns) will further increase sound levels. We conclude that insufficient attention has been paid to the potential health effects of the noise that would be created by the proposed compressor station, particularly in the context of existing noise levels in the community. Consideration of these health impacts needs to be incorporated into all decision-making pertaining to the compressor station. IV.! Recommendations: A.! The state legislature should commence public hearings to examine: o! The flawed regulatory process that resulted in the approval of this project. These flaws include the failure to consider existing air pollution levels and population vulnerabilities, as well as the lack of a quantitative, cumulative risk assessment for potential residential exposures to soil and groundwater contaminants. o! Why the Massachusetts DEP overturned the state’s own regulatory precedent in providing an air quality permit for the proposed project. o! The impact that the proposed compressor station will have on the Commonwealth’s ability to meet its greenhouse gas reduction mandates under the Global Warming Solutions Act. B.! The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection should: o! Overhaul its air quality permitting process to require independent external experts to perform air dispersion modeling and to ensure that models accurately reflect the meteorological conditions and geographic characteristics of a proposed site. o! Solicit independent external reviews of the soil remediation plan put forward by Spectra Energy for the Weymouth site. 3" " C.! The Massachusetts Department of Public Health should: o! Conduct comprehensive health impact assessments with improved transparency and scientific rigor. Such assessments should quantitatively assess the potential cumulative and interactive effects of multiple environmental exposures and should incorporate existing population vulnerabilities. o! Request assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct an epidemiologic investigation of the disproportionately elevated disease rates (leukemia, asthma, heart disease, COPD and nasopharyngeal and bronchogenic tumors) in the Fore River Basin and their potential relationship to existing environmental exposures. V.! Conclusion We call 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. No regulatory framework can make this facility safe for the surrounding community or for residents of the Commonwealth. ! 4" " TABLE OF CONTENTS I.! Background II.! Existing Soil and Groundwater Contamination at the Proposed Site III.! Health Effects of Cumulative Exposure to Existing Air Pollution in the Fore River Basin IV.! Projected Emissions from Proposed Facility and their Potential Health Impact V.! Contribution of the Proposed Facility to Ambient Sound Levels VI.! Conclusions and Recommendations VII.! Maps and Supporting Materials a.! Appendix A: Disease Rates in Census Tracts in the Fore River Basin b.! Appendix B: Population Size, Income, and Demographics in the Fore River Basin c.! Appendix C: Location of Nearby Schools d.! Appendix D: Underground Storage Tanks, Hazardous Material Sites, and Facilities with MassDEP Air Operating Permits e.! Appendix E: FEMA Flood Risk Zones, Hurricane Surge Inundation Areas 5" " I.! BACKGROUND " About Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and Our Reports Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GB PSR) is a non-profit, volunteer organization of physicians, scientists and public health professionals. We are professionally qualified to comment on the expected health impacts of the construction and operation of a proposed 7,700 horsepower compressor station in Weymouth, Massachusetts. GB PSR has published two previous reports1 in response to the proposed compressor station. In the first report, released in February 2019, we pointed out shortcomings, omissions and faulty assumptions in the methodology and conclusions of the state- commissioned health impact assessment (HIA). These flaws included, among others, the HIA’s disregard of the excess rates of lung disease, heart disease and cancer in the neighboring municipalities and the failure to account for existing elevated levels of air toxics. In our second report, released in May 2019, we outlined the unaddressed safety and emergency response hazards associated with the proposed compressor station due to the dense population of the surrounding neighborhoods and the extreme difficulty of evacuation given the very limited ingress and egress to the area. In this report, we build on those prior evaluations and provide a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of the potential health risks posed by the proposed compressor station. We focus on three areas of concern that the state-commissioned Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) permitting process failed to address or inadequately addressed: 1.! The soil and groundwater contamination at the proposed site; 2.! The human health risk to surrounding communities of cumulative exposures to air toxics; and 3.! The noise impact of the proposed project. Our approach is consistent with