Symbol of Woburn's painful past leveled.

(From AFX Europe (Focus))

WOBURN, Mass. (AFX) - Piles of concrete rubble and twisted metal beams are all that remain of a monument to Woburn's worst days.

The W.R. Grace Co. building that long occupied this lot, just off one of Massachusetts' busiest highways, was demolished this month, removing a prominent symbol of a groundwater contamination case that brought this community a lingering infamy and sadness.

"I'm glad it's gone," said City Councilor Darlene Mercer-Bruen.

W.R. Grace, which made machines at the site, was among the companies sued by eight Woburn families in 1982 for polluting groundwater and allegedly causing leukemia in seven children and one adult. Grace settled the case in 1986 for $8 …