March 4, 2005
Contact: Meg Brugeman
463-3481
For Immediate Release
Town meeting announced to present
T.F. Green Air Monitoring Study
WARWICK— Representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and members of the Air Monitoring Advisory Committee will discuss the upcoming EPA-funded air monitoring study around T.F. Green Airport at a meeting at City Council Chambers in Warwick City Hall at 7 p.m. on March 10.
The air monitoring study, which will begin on April 1, is designed to characterize ambient air toxics in the heavily settled neighborhoods surrounding the airport and is being conducted by DEM in partnership with the City of Warwick. A town meeting format will be used to encourage public participation.
“Obviously, the well being of our residents is of paramount importance, and the study is meant to help us find answers to the myriad questions that our citizens have regarding the health and environmental impact of T.F. Green Airport,” said Mayor Scott Avedisian. “I strongly encourage residents to attend this meeting so that they can express their concerns and receive answers to any questions they may have regarding the air monitoring study, the agencies involved in this process, and how the results of this study will be disseminated to the public in the future.”
"DEM's primary goals for the air monitoring study are to determine the level of air toxics Warwick residents are being exposed to, assess whether different neighborhoods have different exposures, and find out if exposures in Warwick are different than other parts of Rhode Island," said Frederick Vincent, Acting DEM Director. "This town meeting is the first of a number of outreach activities DEM and the City of Warwick will be conducting during the course of our yearlong study."
The panel will present more detailed information regarding the goals of the study, the study design, the locations of the monitoring sites, and the types of toxins that will be studied. The public will be invited to ask questions about any aspect of the $500,000 study.
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