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.