Casino Construction Could Result in Spread of Toxic Chemicals

Officials during a meeting at Charlestown High School Tuesday said that the proposed Wynn casino in Everett and in close proximity to Sullivan Square in Charlestown would pollute the air throughout the region, according to the Boston Herald.

Jane Wheeler, an environmental consultant with CDM Smith explained during the meeting that dust leftover from tucks carrying dirt laced with arsenic, lead and petroleum hydrocarbons from years of sulfur manufacturing on what was once a Monsanto chemical site would likely blow from west to east toward Boston, according to the Herald. 

Moreover, the pollution would be in addition to a 13-percent increase in air pollutants from traffic through the area, and every vehicle that would leave the site would need to be washed to prevent poison from spreading, the Herald reported. 

About 60 percent of the proposed casino’s estimated traffic would come by way of Sullivan Square in Charlestown.

Materials relating to the meeting and the proposed casino can be found at the Boston Public Library's Charlestown branch. Area residents can also submit comments on the city of Boston's website.