The Attorney General's Office has launched a lawsuit against the East Boston company, MetroWest Environmental Services, accusing it of neglectfully managing asbestos removal at a property on Hayward Street in Milford. The suit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that during a two-day span in May 2023, the company violated regulations set by the Massachusetts Clean Air Act, endangering both workers and residents in the surrounding area.
According to an announcement by the Attorney General's Office, the complaint outlines a series of breaches, including the mishandling and storage of asbestos-containing materials. MetroWest is accused of breaking asbestos siding during its removal process and leaving the fragments exposed. This misstep was compounded by the company's failure to adequately seal the work area, thus risking the spread of harmful dust and debris into adjacent internal spaces.
The AGO's complaint further claims that despite a warning from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), MetroWest allowed their workers to handle the toxic materials without protective gear. "Asbestos is a hazardous material and known human carcinogen regulated by both MassDEP and the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards," the complaint states, emphasizing that because there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, the alleged negligence has serious implications for health and safety, as mentioned in the same announcement.
Assistant Attorney General John S. Craig of the AGO's Environmental Protection Division is handling the case, alongside a specialized team from MassDEP. They are pushing the court to order MetroWest to pay penalties and to halt all noncompliant operations immediately. The Attorney General's Office is determined to hold the company accountable for its actions, which not only violated state regulations but also posed a substantial risk to the health of the community they operated within.
