The findings of a new study based in Boston offer evidence of negative health outcomes connected to the collision of residential land use and transportation infrastructure.
David Abel reports: "A new study of Boston residents who live or spend a significant amount of time near Interstate 93 and the Massachusetts Turnpike has found that their exposure to microscopic metals and chemicals spewed from vehicles increases their chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke."
According to Abel, the study is just the latest addition to a "growing body of evidence of the dangers of living near highways and other busy roads." Specifically, "those who live within 1,500 feet of a highway have a greater likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease than those living twice as far away."
The study was published last week in the Environment International journal, by researchers from the Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston University School of Public Health. The article also includes reactions to the study's findings from the city's Environment Department and local activists like the Chinese Progressive Association in Chinatown.
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