Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Asbestos Charges

A North Grafton woman who owns property in Springfield was arraigned this week on charges she paid her tenants to improperly remove asbestos from the building.

Susan B. Nissenbaum, 59, of North Grafton appeared in Hampden Superior Court on three counts of violating the Massachusetts Clean Air Act for failure to file a notice of asbestos removal with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), improper asbestos removal, and improper asbestos storage, according to a report from WGGB in Springfield.

At the arraignment, Nissenbaum pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance.

On April 12 a Hampden County Grand Jury handed up an indictment for  Nissenbaum.

According to authorities, in April 2010, Nissenbaum paid two of her tenants to remove asbestos siding from the single-family rental property in Springfield that they were living in and store it on the property. 

Authorities allege that although Nissenbaum knew that the siding contained asbestos, she did not inform her tenants how asbestos needed to be handled and failed to ensure that they had the proper training or equipment to do so.  Nissenbaum allegedly failed to ensure that the tenants follow proper procedures to prevent asbestos fibers from being released into the air. 

Further investigation revealed that Nissenbaum had the asbestos containing materials stored improperly at the property in torn bags, according to authorities. As a result, authorities allege that the tenants, their children, and others were exposed to asbestos. Nissenbaum also allegedly failed to notify MassDEP before commencing work on the project.