The Gas Leaks of Boston According to a new study, Boston has
more than 3,000 leaks from aging natural-gas piping systems
across the city. The new study finding thousands of natural gas
leaks in Boston comes in the wake of devastating fires fueled by
natural gas during Hurricane Sandy. Potential damage to gas
pipeline pressure regulators, caused by flooding in Hurricane
Sandy, has raised ongoing safety concerns in New York and New
Jersey. The researchers report finding 3,356 separate natural
gas leaks under the streets of Boston. "While our study was not
intended to assess explosion risks, we came across six locations
in Boston where gas concentrations exceeded the threshold above
which explosions can occur," said Nathan Phillips, associate
professor in BU's Department of Earth and Environment and co-
author of the study. Nationally, natural gas pipeline failures
cause an average of 17 fatalities, 68 injuries, and $133M in
property damage annually, according to the U.S. Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety A