In that article, Michael Ballway did not include some of the important points that I made about when I appeared before the Woburn City Council to voice my opposition to the granting of a permit to allow a drive-through window at the Dunkin' Donuts at 75 Main St.

One subject that has not been addressed adequately relative to this request is the effect that the tailpipe emissions from idling vehicles in a long queue at the drive-through window will have on air quality.

In view of the fact that air pollution creates health problems for people who have conditions such as those described below, I feel that more of what I presented to the City Council should have been included in the article. It is important to keep in mind that people have a choice as to what they eat and drink, but they have no choice as to the quality of the air that they breathe.

At the hearing before the City Council's Special Permit Committee on Sept. 27, Bill Glynn, development manager from Dunkin' Donuts, said "the company's goal is [to] process an order every 30 seconds, which given the city's mandate of accommodating 12 vehicles in a queue, would mean a 6-minute wait for a customer. ... The McSheffrey site would have a maximum queue of 17 vehicles, before cars start backing up on the street."

This means that the customer who was the 17th vehicle in line could have a wait of 71/2 minutes. Both Section 16A of Chapter 90 of the Massachusetts General Laws and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Air Pollution Control Regulations, 310 CMR 7.11, provide (in part) that no person shall allow the engine of a motor vehicle to idle unnecessarily for more than five minutes.

The DEP states on its Web site the following information under the heading of "Health Effects of Air Pollution":

The people most vulnerable to health effects of air pollution are children, the elderly, those who work or exercise outdoors, and those with chronic respiratory ailments.

Children are at the greatest risk from air pollution: they breathe in far more air per pound of body weight than do adults, and their respiratory systems are still developing.

Elderly people lose important respiratory defense mechanisms as they age.

Healthy people of all ages who exert themselves strenuously by exercising or working outdoors are affected by air pollution, as they are more likely to breathe fast and inhale deeply.

People of all ages live with chronic respiratory problems.

In this connection, it is important to keep in mind that as ozone levels increase, the number of people affected and the severity of the health effects also increase. The American Lung Association gave Middlesex County an ozone grade of "F" in its State of the Air Report this year.

Therefore, the issue is: What is more important, the right of everyone to breathe clean air or the convenience of people who wish to patronize a drive-through window while the engines of their vehicles are idling and helping to pollute the atmosphere? If the convenience of those who wish to patronize a drive-through window is so important, than why was a full-service island not provided at the gas station located at 75 Main St.? There are people who lack the strength to unscrew a gas cap, and there are handicapped people who have difficulty in getting out of their cars; and there are people who would rather not get out of their cars. Would it not be fair to provide a full-service lane to accommodate those people,

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