Advocates press Somerville to fund air‑filtration pilot for residents near I‑93, citing local studies

Residents and environmental advocates urged the Somerville City Council Finance Committee on June 3 to include a pilot program in the FY2026 budget to provide personal air filtration systems for residents living near Interstate 93 and Route 38.

Weg (Wig) Zamor, who said he has worked on air pollution studies in Somerville since 2008, told the committee that peer‑reviewed work and NIH‑funded research show measurable cardiovascular and inflammatory impacts among residents living near the highway corridor. “We showed, without question, that those who lived within 100 meters of I‑93 and Route 38 in Somerville had considerably and statistically significantly elevated cardiovascular inflammation than those who live just a kilometer away,” Zamor said, citing biomarkers including interleukin‑6 and C‑reactive protein and a recent intervention showing lower blood pressure where filtration was used.

Mary Gage, a Ward 5 resident and member of 350 Mass Cambridge Somerville, urged the committee to add the air‑filtration pilot proposed by Councilor Matthew McLaughlin to the FY2026 budget. “As [Weg] was saying, air pollution near highways is known to harm people's health, including right here in Somerville,” Gage said. “Please include this in the 2026 budget.”

Jacqueline Lombard, also representing 350 Mass Cambridge Somerville in testimony, said the pilot would help low‑income residents and people of color who disproportionately live near busy corridors and suggested the city could consider redirecting some proposed policing funds to pay for the program.

Speakers who supported the pilot pointed to a 2008 study conducted with Aerodyne Research and subsequent multi‑year studies involving Tufts and university collaborators, and they noted that a recent intervention in the corridor found improved blood‑pressure outcomes when air filtration was provided. Those technical details and citations were offered on the public record by community members who have worked with researchers on the studies.

Supporters asked the council to specify funding for a pilot in the FY2026 budget and to target distribution to households within the most affected distances from the highway. Several speakers explicitly suggested the program be funded by reallocating a portion of the proposed $3,000,000 policing increase; councilors did not vote on the pilot at the hearing.

The public hearing record remains open; written comments can be sent to publiccomments@somervillema.gov.