Air Quality Impacts of the Logan International Airport Centerfleld Taxiway

摘要

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) constructed a new taxiway at Logan International Airport (Logan) during 2008 and 2009 to address airfield congestion between the terminals and the runways. As part of the environmental conditions for construction, Massport was required to collect air quality data near the flight paths and in the neighborhoods surrounding Logan to compare the air quality pre- and post-construction. Air samples were collected and analyzed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbonyls, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, and particulate matter from 11 monitoring locations over two 12-month periods - before and after the construction of the taxiway. Comparing pre- to post-construction air samples to discern if the taxiway has resulted in changes to the air quality near Logan necessitated the application of statistical test methods that could be used to compare like events separated by two years in time. Statistical tests were used for the comparison of the average concentrations of specific parameters collected during the pre-construction sampling period to the similar post-construction sampling period. The results of this study are preliminary and will be released to the public later this year.