PORTSMOUTH — The state Department of Environmental Services has released a report on the results from air quality monitoring done at the CSX rail yard — located near Portsmouth’s Islington Creek neighborhood and New Franklin School.

Four monitors collected several months of data for analysis by state officials “and measured particulate matter concentrations in the air, commonly referred to as PM2.5,” according to the report.

“While overall concentrations of PM2.5 measured throughout the study were in the Good range … short variations did occur, suggesting the influence of nearby emission sources,” according to the recently completed report by N.H. DES officials.

There were three air quality monitors placed near the CSX rail yard around the city’s Foundry Place parking garage, and one at New Franklin School, according to the report.

The report noted that “idling trains were observed parked alongside Islington Creek neighborhoods by N.H. DES staff and heavy automotive traffic occurred at times during the study period, which ran from the winter of 2021 to the spring of 2022.”

Older trains creating more pollution

The train engines observed in the area near Islington Creek “consisted of older, more polluting models that are often used in railroad switchyards,” state officials said in the report.

The report stated that “the influence of these train emissions on measured PM2.5 concentrations is strongly suspected, but unconfirmed due to lack of train records and observations during periods of higher PM2.5 concentration measurements.”

Islington Creek residents have complained to city leaders for several years about the smell of and noise from idling trains in the CSX rail yard, which used to be owned by Pan Am Railways.

N.H. DES conducted the study on behalf of the city, while consulting with the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-New Hampshire.

Are trains hurting Portsmouth air quality?

“The goal of the study was to investigate hyper-local levels of fine particulate matter (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in aerodynamic diameter, commonly referred to as PM2.5) in the area around the CSX railyard in the Islington Creek neighborhood of Portsmouth,” state officials said in the report. “In particular, EPA and the city of Portsmouth wanted to know if idling trains were affecting air quality in neighboring areas.”

City officials also “wanted to know if traffic emissions were affecting the New Franklin School,” according to the report.

New Franklin School is located near both I-95 and Route 1.

“A potential concern is that odors reported at the school are coming primarily from diesel exhaust and could perhaps be causing health impacts,” state officials said in the report.

The state health officials explained “even though the measured PM2.5 concentrations did not exceed the federal health standards, odors can be present at significantly lower concentrations.”

How to reduce diesel exhaust odors

“Diesel exhaust has a strong distinct metallic odor that can be especially irritating, particularly in areas such as residential neighborhoods and playgrounds,” state officials said about the results they documented near the Islington Creek neighborhood from the rail yard. “To reduce irritation from odors, it may be advantageous to attempt to work with the railroad on possible mitigation strategies.”

Those include, state officials suggested, restricting idling locomotives to “a designated area within the switch yard away from residential areas” and using newer “lower-emitting locomotives or auxiliary power unit (APU) technology.”

In terms of the New Franklin results, the report concluded that “average PM2.5 concentrations stayed well below federal health standards.”

However, “some PM2.5 concentration patterns observed in the data were consistent with periodic odor complaints from school staff,” according to the report.

“Again, the presence of odors does not necessarily imply that other health concerns exist, based on current federal standards,” state officials said. “However, odors can distract from school learning. Further, especially sensitive students could experience some breathing difficulties, such as aggravating asthma when PM2.5 concentrations in the area are highest, even if they are still below health standards.”

N.H. DES suggested school staff could address “nuisance odors” by “upgrading the school air handling system to include High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) and carbon filtration.”

N.H. DES and EPA officials also recommend that buses and cars waiting for students outside the school are not left idling.

Mayor Deaglan McEachern believes it makes sense to “move toward better and better standards” for air quality, even though the N.H. DES tests showed air quality is good in both locations.

Trying to act on the recommendations made by health officials also is a good idea, he said.

“We should do whatever we can to make sure we’re making all efforts to improve air quality, especially in neighborhoods and especially in schools,” McEachern said Friday.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Air quality by Portsmouth railyard, school is good but could be better