In March of 1998, the accidental discovery of asbestos in Saugus High School quickly escalated into a widespread panic. This panic only worsened when additional schools were inspected, some of which were closed for a short time, or even condemned. With an Operations and Maintenance program in place designed to control asbestos before it becomes a health risk, such a crisis was still unavoidable. This study focuses on the asbestos crisis in Saugus. Why were these problems not detected sooner? What role did the School Department and Town Officials play in preventing this problem from occurring, or were they aware of the situation and able to legally avoid it under current legislation? What legislation governs the actions of these entities? What steps need to be taken to ensure that this problem will not arise again in the future?

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Cho, Kenneth Hyun-Jae
• Anderson, Richard W.

Subject

• Well-Being
• Health
• Security
• Environment

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 99D315I

Keyword

• Public health
• Buildings--Remodeling for other use

Advisor

• Doyle, James Kevin

Year

• 1999

Date created

• 1999-01-01

Location

• Worcester

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2021-02-01