TagRamboll(5)

The King County Health Study, conducted by Ramboll on behalf of King County's local health jurisdiction, examines the public health impacts of Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) Airport operations on surrounding communities. Funded at $125,000 over two years, the study analyzes existing health data, reviews scientific literature on airport-related noise and air pollution, and incorporates a University of Washington study on ultrafine particulate matter near the airport. The report also profiles community health within one-, five-, and ten-mile radii of the airport and offers recommendations for addressing identified health concerns.

The King County Health Study is a publicly funded research effort that examines how SeaTac Airport operations affect the health of surrounding communities through noise and air pollution. The study analyzes existing health data within one, five, and ten miles of the airport, reviews scientific literature on airport-related health effects, and incorporates findings from a University of Washington study on ultrafine particulate matter. It concludes with recommendations for addressing health impacts linked to airport operations.

A Seattle attorney sued the Port of Seattle in September 2022 to force disclosure of a fully redacted consultant report examining public health impacts—including noise, air pollution, and higher rates of disease—on communities within 10 miles of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Separately, the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance urged a federal advisory committee to support six research proposals challenging the FAA's longstanding 65 DNL noise threshold, which new survey data suggests dramatically understates the number of people harmed by aircraft noise. The issue also covers the first successful test flight of Eviation's all-electric nine-passenger Alice aircraft in Moses Lake, Washington.

Attorney Steve Edmiston filed a lawsuit against the Port of Seattle, alleging it violated Washington's Public Records Act by heavily redacting a consultant's report (the "Ramboll Report") that assessed a 2020 public health study linking Sea-Tac Airport's noise and air pollution to serious health harms in nearby communities, including lower life expectancy and higher rates of heart disease and premature births. The Ramboll Report, commissioned by the Port days after the public health study was released and shared with the Port's CEO, was intended to evaluate the study's findings and recommendations. Edmiston is seeking court-ordered disclosure of the unredacted documents, along with attorney fees and penalties to deter future violations.

In April 2021, the Port of Seattle's Senior Environmental Program Manager Steve Rybolt authorized Ramboll, an environmental consulting firm, to review a December 2020 King County Department of Health report on community health impacts related to airport noise and air pollution near Sea-Tac International Airport. The $7,500 engagement, funded from SD-11 contingency funds, tasked Ramboll's senior health sciences staff with evaluating the report's methods and findings, identifying areas for public comment on the Port's SAMP, and assessing whether the report adequately addressed Washington State House Bill 1109. Ramboll was to deliver its findings via a PowerPoint presentation in a video conference meeting scheduled for May 11, 2021.