A highly polluted area in Billerica, Massachusetts will soon be cleaned up with funds provided by three Massachusetts companies. The estimated cost of the cleanup is said to be approximately $23 million.

The parties that will be paying for the cleanup include Boston and Maine Corp., BNZ Materials, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. All three parties have signed an agreement with the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Justice Department consenting to reimburse the Environmental Protection Agency for all present and future costs related to the containment and removal of various contaminants including asbestos at the 553-acre site.

Exposure to asbestos fibers can lead to a number of health problems with lasting effects. Diseases caused by the dangerous material usually have a significantly long latency period which often means very few treatment options by the time diagnosis occurs. These diseases include mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

A forth company also liable for the cleanup costs did not sign the consent agreement but their role in the sites contamination will be addressed in another manner. Johns Manville Corp. will be making a payment of $50, 000 to Boston and Maine Corp., and BNZ Materials.

There is a thirty day public comment period regarding the consent agreement.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has stated that, “This settlement sends a strong message to responsible parties that they must step up to the plate to clean up their messes, and taxpayers will not foot the bill.”

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