A Boston landlord who owns and operates dozens of buildings in the city will pay up to $100,000 to settle an asbestos exposure lawsuit brought by the state Attorney General’s Office.

The consent judgment, entered by Judge Joseph Leighton Jr. in Suffolk Superior Court, settles an asbestos exposure lawsuit filed by the AG’s Office in October 2012 against Ronald Oliveira for improper asbestos work on four New Bedford homes he was renovating that risked exposing the public and his workers to the harmful effects of asbestos.

According to Attorney General Maura Healey, the problems started in September 2009, when Oliveira’s contractors were renovating a triple-decker home with three apartments inside.

His contractors began cleaning and painting asbestos-containing shingles with a high-pressure power washer, covering themselves, their tools, their vehicles, and the possessions of the home’s residents with asbestos-containing dust and debris.

The contractors were not wearing protective equipment, the asbestos exposure lawsuit stated.

Then, in Jan. 2011, Oliveira hired contractors to do work on a three-family property, allegedly without telling them it had asbestos siding.

Again lacking protective equipment, they cut and broke asbestos siding, demolished a second-floor front deck, and left the debris in an open dumpster, according to the AG.

Similar siding work occurred at a three-family property the following March and April, and in that case, contractors left the debris dry and exposed to the air in the yard around the house, the AG’s office claims.

In the final instance, in July 2013, Oliveira’s contractors broke asbestos-containing ceiling tiles in the basement of a single-family home, and then allegedly left the debris exposed for about a month.

Those activities put the workers and the public at risk of asbestos exposure, AG Healey said.

Over time, asbestos particles inhaled into the lungs can cause asbestosis, which makes breathing difficult; mesothelioma, a rare cancer; and lung cancer.

The consent judgment requires Oliveira, individually and as a trustee of the Roso Investment Realty Trust, to hire a consultant to perform an audit of 20 properties selected by the AG’s Office and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for proper asbestos maintenance, and requires him to ensure that future asbestos work is done legally.

Of the $100,000 in penalties, $35,000 will be suspended if he fully complies with the consent judgment.

“If asbestos is not handled properly, it can pose serious health risks,” said Attorney General Maura Healey. “We will hold accountable those who put the health of workers and residents at risk by allowing illegal mishandling of asbestos – especially those in environmental justice neighborhoods, which already suffer more than their fair share of environmental risks.”

Filing an Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been historically used in a wide variety of building materials, from roofing and flooring, to siding, wallboards, caulking and insulation.

If asbestos is improperly handled or maintained, fibers can be released into the air and inhaled, and may over time cause serious lung diseases, including mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma) or abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma).

Most cases of the disease are caused by excessive exposure to the carcinogenic mineral fiber asbestos–exposure that in most cases was preventable.

For these reasons, the regulation of asbestos handling is exceedingly important to protect human health.

Anyone who developed an asbestos-related disease because of exposure has grounds for an asbestos exposure lawsuit.

An asbestos exposure lawsuit can help deflect the considerable costs of treatment, provide compensation for emotional and physical hardship, and hold companies and individuals responsible for the exposure.