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July 09, 2012
Boston, Massachusetts - An asbestos-related complaint against Emerson College, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, has resulted in a quarter-million dollar fine against the school and the company that completed renovations there in 2007 and 2008.
According to an article in the Boston Globe, Emerson College and the Suffolk Construction Company have been charged with violations of the Massachusetts air pollution prevention statute and state asbestos laws, resulting in a situation that may have resulted in exposing the general public to the dangerous mineral, which can cause mesothelioma cancer if inhaled.
The violations occurred when the construction workers were renovating a 13-story Colonial building on the Boston campus. The article reports that though Suffolk Construction hired an engineering firm to examine the building for the presence of asbestos, the consultant was unable to gain access to certain parts of the building and suggested further testing when access was available in those difficult-to-reach sections of the old structure. However, Suffolk – with the school's approval – allegedly continued with plans for demolition and renovation without securing further testing. Both Emerson and Suffolk deny the allegations but agreed to settle the case.
At the time of the incident, the Department of Environmental Protection examined the structure and the area around it, but not until after most of the demolition and asbestos removal had been completed. However, they located numerous remaining materials throughout the building that contained asbestos, reported Attorney General Martha Coakley. At that point, all activities at the site were suspended.
Coakley's office has alleged that anyone in the vicinity of the building, as well as construction workers and employees at a recycling facility where the debris was sent for disposal, may have suffered asbestos e xposure.
In addition to the fines levied against Emerson and Suffolk, the school is being made to implement an asbestos management plan for that particular building so that a similar situation does not occur during any future demolition or renovations.
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