Health Study Awaited: Results of Three Years of Collecting Data Soon to Be Revealed

From Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo to Town Manager James McKenna to Airport Hazards Committee Chairman Anthony Majahad, to virtually every resident in Winthrop, there is much anticipation about the upcoming release of the Massachusetts Department of Health report on the environmental impacts of Logan Airport on the health of Winthrop residents.

Majahad, whose committee includes Attorney Jerome Falbo and Bob Driscoll (who have about a combined 80 years of experience on the committee), has termed the study (which also looks at other communities within a five-mile radius of Logan) “groundbreaking” and unprecedented in the country.

The compilation of data for the study began about three years ago and it will no doubt be a comprehensive and in-depth document from which many conclusions can be drawn. We’re pleased to hear that both a regional group, the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) of which Falbo is vice president, and the town of Winthrop want to bring in an expert to evaluate the results of the study and their implications for our residents.

The Speaker has been closely monitoring the progress of the study and addressed the subject when he brought Massport CEO Thomas Glynn to the town for an informative luncheon meeting with town officials. Jim McKenna also spoke about the impending release of the DPH study at Town Council meetings and he and the Councilors recognize the importance of the study to our townspeople.

The issue of the health of our residents is first and foremost and we hope this study provides the foundation upon which we can move forward and address any long-term health issues that the study reveals.