RESIDENTS URGED TO CONTINUE TO REPORT AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION

The new departure procedure for Runway 33 Left at Logan
began on June 5, 2013, after the FAA determined it would not produce
significant environmental impacts. With this new procedure, aircraft that
previously flew directly over northeastern and middle Somerville during
departures should now instead fly north of the Mystic River. The FAA will
conduct another review of the new departure procedure in six months.

Although this change will benefit only residents of East and
parts of Central Somerville, Logan Airport can still adopt more equitable
runaway patterns that will further mitigate aircraft noise pollution over the
city, which has tripled since the construction of Runway 14/32 at Logan
Airport. The City of Somerville asks residents to continue reporting aircraft
noise to 311 and to Massport to document how the changes are working and
advocate for future changes.

"This is a small yet victorious step for the City of
Somerville and surrounding communities. Any decrease in the frequency of or noise
level of flights over our community is a welcome change, and we will continue
to work with and lobby Massport and the FAA for additional mitigation for the
entire City," Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said. "In the meantime, we need to make
our case to Massport and the FAA to ensure that these changes happen, but we
cannot do it without our residents help. Residents should continue to report
each incident to both 311 and Massport so the City can make a strong argument
for changes at Logan Airport that will have a direct impact on our residents'
health and quality of life and, as studies have shown, our children's ability
to learn."

The first goal of the Boston Logan Airport Noise Study
(BLANS) is to reduce the number of people exposed to aircraft noise in excess
of 60 decibels. The most recent BLANS report released in December 2012 states
that without any changes to Logan Airport operations, in 2015 Somerville
residents would have been subjected to 34 incidents of aircraft noise pollution
exceeding 60 decibels each day.

That same report identifies alternative Logan Airport
operations that could reduce the number of daily 60-plus decibel incidents over
Somerville by up to 69 percent and the minutes of 60-plus decibel aircraft
noise pollution over the city by up to 76 percent.

Studies have shown that night-time aircraft noise pollution
can increase a person's blood pressure even if it does not wake them,
increasing the risk of hypertension, and that residents in areas with more
aircraft noise are up to 50 percent more likely to have a cardiovascular
impairment.

Another study found that chronic exposure to aircraft noise
pollution is associated with higher levels of poorer reading comprehension and
sustained attention problems in children. Those problems do not fade over time
and children do not adapt the noise, according to the study, but rather persist
as long as the children are subjected to the noise pollution.

Residents
should report aircraft noise to Massport online at http://www.massport.com/environment/environmental_reporting/noise
abatement/noisecomplaints.aspx or by calling the Massport Noise Complaint
Line at (617) 561-3333 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on business days. Those same
complaints should also be registered with the City of Somerville by calling 311
or online at http://somervillema.qscend.com/request.aspx.