For 17 years, Burien resident Debi Wagner has taken steps to bring awareness to the hazards that Sea-Tac International Airport brings to the nearby neighborhoods.

She has now written a book that she calls her "last step" in her efforts against airport expansion.
Wagner will discuss her book at Burien Books, 824 S.W. 152nd St., on Saturday, March 5 from 1- 3 p.m.

"Over My Head" is Wagner's book that talks about how she got into airport activism, at first by being active in grassroots groups that wanted to mitigate the noise that resulted from increased air traffic.

She used to live in a part of Des Moines that was noise-free. Then the air space over her home became a flight path in 1989, subjecting her to the noise of low flying aircraft.

"That's when I got upset," she said.

Her first efforts were on noise pollution, but she eventually turned her sights onto something less obvious but more lethal.

"Emissions from the jets have been a problem. People around here experience much higher cancer rates, asthma rates, higher deaths and it hasn't been noticed enough by the people in charge," she said, citing a variety of studies conducted by various groups such as the state Department of Health, state Department of Ecology, and the University of Washington.

She heavily uses a study conducted by the state Department of Health during 1992 to 1996. It surveyed residents living in a five-mile radius of the airport to compare the cancer rates of those residents to the rest of King County and the state.

Among those living within one mile of the airport, the rates of endometrium, lung, and oral cancers were higher than expected compared to overall projected rates for King County and the state.

The study also found that the death rates for lung cancer and lung disease were higher in the Sea-Tac Airport community than the rest of King County. It also found a higher number of hospital visits for asthma around the area.

However, the study could not conclude if the increased rates were specifically due to pollution from the airport.

Wagner's outspokenness concerning the airport has always triggered the same question:

It's an airport - what did you expect?

"If people [unknowingly] live by a toxic waste site, no one says to them 'Well, it's a toxic waste site, what did you expect?'" she asked.

She says that many residents were there first before the airport became the major travel hub it is now and before the air space over their homes became frequent flight paths, as was the case for her when she used to live in Des Moines.

Wagner also says that many residents who want to leave simply can't.

"People here can't sell their homes or they'd lose their shirts," she said. "People are stuck with their properties and turn them into rental properties."

The frustrations piled higher as she spoke to officials with the Federal Aviation Administration, state agencies and state lawmakers to try to get something done, but to no avail.

Most of her work was done with grassroots group, Citizens Against Sea-Tac Airport Expansion (CASE,) which formed to fight the third runway. That fight didn't turn out in their favor as the runway opened in November 2008. The group has since dissolved.

"People get tired," she said, sounding tired herself at the memories of all the efforts put forth and all the meetings attended.

She wants her book to serve as a warning to others about the danger of chemicals from air traffic.

While Wagner admits that she herself isn't an expert on what solution best works to improve the situation, she cites a variety of suggestions put forth by other experts in different fields. One suggestion explores the use of alternative energies. Another discusses raising the prices of plane tickets to discourage less traveling.

Whatever the solution needs to be, Wagner is clear one thing.

"We need justice for victims. I don't know how you can kill people and have it be OK."

"Over My Head" is on sale through Amazon.com or at Barnes and Noble. It is also available as an e-book for Kindle and Nook.

Wagner will also discuss her book on KEXP 90.3 at 7:30 a.m. on March 5.