State Warns of Asbestos Contamination At Norwood High School-July 25, 1985

On July 25, 1985, state officials warned that Norwood High School is heavily contaminated with carcinogenic asbestos fibers released during ongoing construction, casting serious doubt on whether the building will be ready to reopen for the start of the fall term.

“The state suspects there is asbestos contamination throughout the school building,” stated Roger Pelletier, a member of both the school committee and the permanent building committee. All entrances to the high school were posted with official warning signs cautioning anyone entering the building to wear protective breathing equipment.

Attached to the doorways was a critical letter from the state Department of Occupational Hygiene (DOH) addressed to the town’s building committee. Signed by Gerard Porter of the DOH, the letter stated,

“The situation which exists at the Norwood Senior High School… presents a potential exposure to low levels of asbestos fibers.”

Under federal law, asbestos—a known cancer-causing agent—must be safely abated and removed from all educational facilities.

The high school had been undergoing extensive modernization as part of a $5 million facility face-lift. School department and permanent building committee officials announced plans to convene an emergency meeting to evaluate the renovation schedule, assess the full scope of contamination, and determine the rigorous cleanup measures required before students and staff could safely return.

Roger Pelletier noted that the timeline of the asbestos remediation would directly dictate whether the opening of the school year would face mandatory delays.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger