Press Release: 9/10/2025

AG's Office Secures $115,000 Settlement with Ludlow Asbestos Abatement Company for Improper Abatement Work and Repeated Exposures to Asbestos Containing Materials

 

Penalties Include $55,000 to Environmental Justice Trust 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

9/10/2025

MEDIA CONTACT

Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary

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Call Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at (617) 727-2543

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Email Kennedy Sims, Deputy Press Secretary at Kennedy.Sims@mass.gov

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced today that it has reached an agreement with Compass Restoration Services, LLC (“Compass”) -- a Ludlow-based asbestos and lead abatement company -- to resolve allegations that the company violated the Massachusetts Clean Air Act and its asbestos regulations by illegally removing, handling, and storing asbestos-containing materials during three separate renovation projects at a commercial facility in South Hadley and two single-family homes in Ashfield and East Longmeadow. The AGO alleged that these violations led to the repeated exposure of the public, employees and nearby residents to airborne asbestos fibers.  

Asbestos is a hazardous material and known human carcinogen regulated under the Clean Air Act. It is used as fireproofing in a wide variety of building materials, from roofing and flooring, to siding and wallboard, to caulking and insulation, and is especially prevalent in older construction. If asbestos is improperly handled or maintained, fibers can be released into the air and inhaled, devastating the lungs, causing scarring, malfunction, and potentially life-threatening illnesses, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Once disturbed, asbestos fibers can remain airborne and therefore breathable for up to 72 hours. Because of the serious health risks associated with asbestos, there is no safe level of exposure. 

Under the terms of the agreement, Compass will pay $115,000 in penalties to the Commonwealth, $55,000 of which will be paid into the Environmental Justice Trust Fund to support on-the-ground projects to address environmental harms in disadvantaged communities across the state. Up to $25,000 of the penalties are eligible to be suspended contingent upon Compass’s compliance with the agreement and the Clean Air Act. Compass is also required to provide MassDEP with additional advance notice of its future work for a year. 

The Consent Judgement, entered by the Suffolk Superior Court on September 8, 2025, resolves allegations that Compass violated Massachusetts asbestos regulations by failing to safely store asbestos-containing materials and improperly handling asbestos, risking the safety of its employees and the public in the surrounding area. According to the AGO, in South Hadley, Compass performed abatement work on a rooftop mechanical penthouse that left pieces of asbestos-containing insulation dry, exposed, and scattered on the rooftop. In Ashfield, Compass removed a home boiler covered in asbestos-containing insulation and left dry, asbestos-contaminated debris exposed in its basement work area. In East Longmeadow, Compass was contracted to perform asbestos abatement work at a residential property and left pieces of dry, exposed asbestos-containing siding on the ground outside around the home. 

The case was handled by former Assistant Attorney General Matthew Ireland of the AGO’s Environmental Protection Division, with assistance from MassDEP Western Region Regional Counsel Samuel Titelman, Asbestos Section Chief John Moriarty, and former Emergency Response Section Chief David Slowick.