Campaign for clean air: Eastie moms want Massport to equip schools with air purifiers

BOSTON — "Can't you smell the air? Don't you smell the jet fuel?"

It happens 1,200 times a day at Logan International Airport, but for Julia Burrell, it was a question from a fellow East Boston mom that got her thinking about what airliners were leaving behind.

Thus began a mom's campaign for clean air.

Target one: The Dante Alighieri Montessori School, where many of their children attend class.

"We put a HEPA filter into every single classroom," said Burrell.

The HEPA filter units retail for up to $700 and through fundraising and grants, the moms were able to buy 10 of them. They say it's only fair that Massport, which operates Logan, equip all other schools in East Boston with the air-purifying devices.

"At one point they replaced all windows under the flight path in Winthrop and East Boston and other parts of the city and now we're saying, OK what about the air?" said Danielle Emond.

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The air in East Boston doesn't look dirty and the EPA says that's part of the problem. It's the fine particles that you can't see that can do the most damage to the human body because they can be inhaled deep into the lungs and even get into the bloodstream. Those particles can lead to health issues such as asthma, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, and even premature death.

One problem, the moms say, is that may in the community may be unaware there's an air pollution issue because not only is the pollution invisible, but many days you can't smell it either.

"On days like today, when we are upwind... it's almost wonderful," said Agniezka Rytuich Foster. "But when we are downwind... it's really significant."

"And we have one of the highest populations of children in all of Greater Boston area... East Boston we have 21% children," said Sonja Tengblad.

The moms are hoping to get the Massport-funded filters installed in other schools within a year to mitigate all the jets flying over the kids.

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Cox Media Group