Residents of the city of Nashua, New Hampshire are being strongly encouraged to attend informational meetings regarding asbestos. The city contains 175 known asbestos dumping sites, and anyone living near the sites has been requested to attend an asbestos open house that is being coordinated by city and state environmental officials later this month. The asbestos open house will be held on Monday, June 22, from 6-8 p.m. in Nashua City Hall’s third-floor auditorium.
The 175 known asbestos disposal sites scattered around Nashua include residential, business and city-owned properties. Invitations to the open house were mailed to property owners, but anyone can attend. The open house will cover topics related to the health and environmental risks associated with asbestos, as well as asbestos abatement strategies and ways that people can reduce their risk of asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure is linked to lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other respiratory conditions.
The city of Nashua is able to track asbestos-contaminated properties, as well as EPA Brownfield properties thanks to a grant from the EPA. The city will also use the grant money to assess the condition of various properties and determine the proper course of action for asbestos removal and redevelopment of select sites throughout the city.
Topics to be discussed at the open house include property owners’ responsibilities, environmental issues, potential health risks, and proper management of asbestos to reduce potential risk of asbestos exposure, and remediation and redevelopment strategies for select sites. “A key component of this Brownfields program is public involvement,” Nashua’s Brownfields Coordinator Deb Chisholm said. “We plan to work closely with residents and business owners, helping them to understand what to do if asbestos waste is suspected or known to be buried on their property and to reduce any potential risk of asbestos exposure.”