Hanscom Field. JENNY STEWART PHOTO
This story has been changed to reflect that the air quality study has been published and is available.
A recent research project regarding air quality impacts in the four towns that border Hanscom Field found that there is a high concentration of ultrafine particles (UFP) and airborne lead.
Neelakshi Hudda of Tufts University presented the results of the study she and her team performed during a forum at Town Hall Sept. 30. The forum was put on by Bedford Mothers Out Front, Bedford Board of Health, Third Act Bedford, and League of Women Voters of Bedford.
In coordination with the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission, the Hanscom towns of Bedford, Concord, Lexington and Lincoln funded the data collection. The study was also supported by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Community Advisory Committee.
Hudda’s research measured and analyzed ultrafine particle (UFP) concentrations and airborne lead concentrations at collection sites across the four Hanscom communities. UFPs are markers of fuel combustion emissions and are a physical form of pollution that is abundantly present near airports because they are emitted in large quantities by airplanes, Hudda said.
The study was requested due to concern that the proposed Hanscom Field North Airfield development project will result in a significant increase in greenhouse gas and UFP emissions. A draft environmental impact report (DEIR), pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), was filed in March 2024 and described the proposed North Airfield development on 47 acres of land off Hartwell Road in Bedford.
Hanscom community members and local and state agencies submitted comments on the report, including that it lacked analyses of key impacts – air, noise, and traffic – and did not mention hazardous waste remediation that will happen nearby at portions of the Hanscom Air Force Base that require state oversight and permitting.
The state Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs ultimately ruled that the DEIR did not “adequately and properly comply” with state environmental law, moving the developer to prepare and submit a supplemental environmental impact report (SEIR) addressing specific issues. The SEIR for this project has not been submitted yet.
The study showed that the highest concentration of UFPs occurred at sites downwind of the airport during periods of moderate wind and high flight activity. Hudda said the Bedford sampling sites showed higher concentrations of UFPs when the wind was coming from the southwest.
She also noted that airborne lead was detected in 100% of samples taken from the testing sites in the Hanscom communities. Hudda compared her team’s measured lead concentrations – hypothesized to be affected by the combustion of leaded fuel used by aircrafts with piston engines – to measurements made at the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Agency data-collection site in Boston and found that concentrations of lead around Hanscom Field are, on average, larger than in the Boston area.
Tests were conducted with varying wind directions and air traffic. Hudda said the first phase of the study took place during winter and spring at nine sites, and the second phase took place during summer and fall at four sites. The research was conducted in two parts because the concentrations and patterns of particles are affected by weather variables, she said.
The World Health Organization has issued “good practice” statements on UFPs to guide researchers and other decisionmakers toward measures to reduce ambient UFP concentrations. Information about UFPs can be found on pages 149 to 151 of WHO’s global air quality guidelines.
The study found that UFP concentrations exceed World Health Organization (WHO) thresholds at varying levels at each study site under at least one of the testing conditions.
While many exceeded the WHO threshold by 4% and below, three of the test sites – the two closest to runways and one along the landing path – exceeded the threshold by an average of 35% and by as much as 79% during a monitoring period.
Other speakers at the forum were Select Board member Dan Brosgol, who explained why the study was conducted, and Lara Sullivan of Stop Private Jet Expansion, a group that has been advocating against the North Airfield development.
The study can be found here. Questions regarding the study can be sent to Hudda at neelakshi.hudda@tufts.edu.
Hudda and her colleague John Durant will report on the study to the Hanscom Area Towns Committee during its meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m.