Paul Bass Photo
Tiny particles from Tweed planes like this one have raised concerns about Morris Cove air.
An air pollution researcher reported finding that unregulated “ultrafine” particles spike when Tweed airplanes take off and land — prompting neighbors to consider whether to adjust their daily routines to avoid air pollution, and the airport to double down on plans to expand their operations.
Neelakshi Hudda, a professor at Tufts University, presented the findings of her recent study of Tweed New Haven Airport to the Environmental Advisory Council on Wednesday evening.
The study, conducted throughout last June and early July, was funded by 10,000 Hawks, an advocacy group of East Haven and Morris Cove residents opposed to Tweed’s planned expansion.
The activists have criticized the Federal Aviation Association (FAA)‘s Environmental Assessment of the Tweed expansion plan. A final version of the assessment came out in December 2023 and concluded that plans to build a new, larger terminal at Tweed would not produce significant adverse effects on the environment.
10,000 Hawks and other anti-Tweed neighbors have called those findings into question, advocating for a more thorough Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the effects of the airport’s buildout.
Hudda’s study focused specifically on a form of air pollution, ultrafine particles (or PM0.1), not yet tracked or assessed by the federal regulators in charge of determining airports’ environmental impact.
Research is still emerging on the consequences of exposure to these particles. Scientists have associated the pollutants with adverse health effects, including in the lungs.
In an interview, airport spokesperson Andrew King stressed that “the science in ultrafine particles is still mixed.” He pointed to the FAA’s findings that the planned airport construction would in fact slightly reduce other types of air pollution (with the exception of NOx), since the new terminal is intended to be carbon neutral, reliant on sustainable electricity, and large enough to accommodate more energy-efficient plane models.
“That’s where our responsibility lies: being able to reduce the things we can track” the forms of air pollution that federal regulators agree are most harmful, King argued. He added that Hudda expressed support in her presentation for the kind of air filtration and soundproofing efforts that the airport and the FAA have funded for neighboring homeowners.
Hudda measured the concentration of ultrafine particles at a variety of locations and times near Tweed Airport, including in both indoor and outdoor settings.
She found that the particles spiked in response to both takeoffs and landings at the airport.
She summarized to the Council that, at baseline, the neighborhood’s air contains “a few thousand particles per CC [cubic centimeter].” By comparison, she estimated that ultrafine particle concentrations near an interstate highway would reach around 35,000 to 50,000 particles per CC.
During plane activity, the concentration spiked by “hundreds of thousands of particles per CC” a kilometer away from the airport, Hudda said. “If you’re really close, you’re looking at [an increase of] a million or 10 million particles per CC.”
“The spike doesn’t last very long,” she added. “It lasts a few minutes.” She noted that the direction of the wind significantly affects the measurements at a given location.
Hudda found that ultrafine particles are capable of penetrating homes nearby. When asked about the airport and federal government’s efforts to provide home air filters to nearby residents, Hudda said that those filters should be effective at ensuring clean air inside the apartment if properly sized. “HEPA filters do their job,” she said.
The data left listeners wondering how to interpret a new awareness of the tiny particles affecting their environment.
Trina Yoxall asked Hudda via the Zoom room’s chat function: “In your findings, what is your opinion regarding the levels of toxins the neighborhood is being exposed to, are they unhealthy?”
“You really have to make those decisions for yourselves,” Hudda responded. “There are people who walk their entire lives on the tarmac” for the sake of their jobs at the airport. “These are really personal decisions.”
One participant, Rachel, asked if it’s safe to walk around in the neighborhood outside given the levels of ultrafine pollution.
Hudda replied, “I would try not to walk next to an airport, if possible. But not everybody has that luxury. If you have the choice, please avoid it. Life doesn’t always offer luxury of choice.”
While the amount of exposure each person wants to risk is an individual choice, Hudda said, there are some measures that can mitigate the amount of ultrafine particles inhaled — such as wearing a face mask (like those used to prevent the spread of Covid-19) and trying to walk on the side of the airport opposite from where the wind is blowing.
These planes take off intermittently. Now let's just imagine what the ultrafine particle exposure levels are like for all the residents who live within a mile of the city's highways (where traffic is constant, every second of every day), or in the central neighborhoods all throughout New Haven, Hamden, etc.
Expanding Tweed could reduce the ultrafine particles, because people will be able to use commercial planes instead of private jets, and because they won't have to drive out to JFK or Bradley as often, among other reasons detailed in the FAA study.