By Mike Maholchic

“It’s political”.

That is why 37% of all arrivals of all arrivals to Logan Airport fly over Milton, according to BOS Fair Skies Coalition member and Milton resident Cindy L. Christiansen, PhD., speaking to members and guests of the Milton Rotary Club to at their regular weekly lunch meeting on October 15th. “It’s safer to land a plane heading into the wind, and when the wind is coming from the northeast planes should fly over Milton to land at runways 4L and 4R.” said Christiansen, “But even when there is no wind, the planes still fly over Milton.”

Many members in the Rotary audience are well aware of the increased noise in town that since the FAA concentrated southbound departures into a narrower 3-mile-wide path. “I can tell,”said former selectman Marvin Gordon, “and I’m deaf.”

What has changed? According to Christiansen, the FAA’s new Next Generation Air Transportation System, (“NextGen”) now concentrates flight paths into narrow corridors, with glide slope arrivals and reduced separation distances. “I timed it, ” said audience member Thomas Smigliani”it was every 32 seconds.” The goal is to reduce flight time, delays, and fuel use while increasing the number of flights. “Statistically the FAA claims that overall exposure to airplane noise is reduced in the Boston area,” said Christiansen, “but it comes at the cost of concentrating the noise over those living in those narrow corridors.” Four of these flight paths now fly over Milton.

Christiansen said that beyond the noise, therewere health issues to be concerned about. Sleep disturbance, lead poisoning, heart attacks, anxiety, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and high blood pressure are associated with aircraft noise and pollution according to several recent studies here and in Europe. Most concerning for Milton are the findings from the 2014 LAX air monitoring study that showed high concentrations ofultra-fineparticulate matter as far as 10 miles out from the arrival runways. She circulated a 2014 map of the Los Angeles area, produced byNeelakshi Huddaof the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California which showed extensive areas where plane pollution was 6 to 8 times normal levels in an area the same distance from the airport that Milton is from Logan.

“Low-flying prop planes, unlike cars, continue to use leaded fuel,” Christiansen continued, “and according to the American Academy of Pediatrics there is simply no safe level of lead exposure for children.”

“What can the average citizen can do about this?” she was asked by audience member Michael Maholchic. “It’s a federal issue,” replied Christiansen, “we need to get our congressmen to help. In addition, you can document your complaints by calling Massport’s Noise Complaint Line.

The Noise Complaint Line number is 617-561-3333.

So far this year, Massport has received more calls and emails from Milton than any other town in greater Boston, but according to Christiansen, it may need a few more.