HEALTH RISK from gas compressor by Dr. Curt Nordgaard

The North Weymouth compressor station: An unacceptable health risk

Prepared by Curtis Nordgaard, MD Msc

Resident Pediatrician, Boston Children's Hospital / Boston Medical Center

What health conditions are associated with compressor station emissions?

-Particulate matter 1,2: Asthma, heart attacks, diabetes

-Benzene 3 : Leukemia, bone marrow suppression

-Formaldehyde 4,5: Asthma, several types of cancer

-Nitrogen oxide 6 Produces hazardous ground level ozone, an asthma trigger associated with respiratory tract irritation and infection

Do compressor stations emit dangerous levels of these pollutants?

-Benzene levels have been measured near compressor stations that far exceed cancer-causing

Thresholds. Formaldehyde levels can exceed cancer-causing thresholds up to at least a half mile away from compressor stations8

Do residents living near compressor stations notice compressor emissions?

-Residents living near compressor stations report severe headaches, sinus problems, and throat

irritation more often than residents living further away.

Would additional emissions make a difference?

-Six industries in the Fore River Basin accounted for 84 periods of federal pollution standard violations in the past 3 years, in addition to their baseline operating pollution. -Significant background emissions increase the likelihood that additional emissions will reach toxic or carcinogenic levels

Why haven't we heard more about compressors and health risks before?

-Many compressor stations are built in rural areas near much smaller populations, where fewer

people are exposed to the pollutants and the health risks are therefore lower.

What additional health risks will we accept in our communities so that Spectra can build a

compressor station?

-A child with leukemia?

-A parent or sibling with a heart attack?

-A neighbor in the Emergency Department with an asthma attack?

If we value the health of our communities, our families, and our children, then we must

acknowledge that increased risks of asthma, heart attacks, and cancer are unacceptable.

1 http://epa.gov/ncer/science/pm/

2 Solimini et al. BMC Public Health 2015 15:70.

3 http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/subst/0276.htm

4 Dannemiller et al. Indoor Air 2013 23(4):285.

5 http://www.epa.gov/IRIS/subst/0419.htm

6 http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~pm6jsl:1

7 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. (2010). Barnett Shale Formation Air Monitoring Projects.

8 Macey et al. Environmental Health 2014, 13:82

9 Steinzor et al. New Solutions 2013, 23:55

10 www.echo.epa.gov