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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Green Liquid Oozes Onto a Michigan Highway, Prompting Questions and a Cleanup | Green Liquid Oozes Onto a Michigan Highway, Prompting Questions and a Cleanup |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| A peculiar sight greeted motorists on a busy freeway outside Detroit on Friday: a bright green liquid oozing from a retaining wall on Interstate 696. | A peculiar sight greeted motorists on a busy freeway outside Detroit on Friday: a bright green liquid oozing from a retaining wall on Interstate 696. |
| Its appearance snarled traffic and prompted lane closings to allow for a hazardous materials cleanup that started on Friday and could last for several more days, Michigan environmental officials said. | Its appearance snarled traffic and prompted lane closings to allow for a hazardous materials cleanup that started on Friday and could last for several more days, Michigan environmental officials said. |
| The mystery substance is believed to be hexavalent chromium, said Jill A. Greenberg, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. | The mystery substance is believed to be hexavalent chromium, said Jill A. Greenberg, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. |
| “It’s a serious situation,” Ms. Greenberg said on Sunday. “Clearly, this site needs to be cleaned up.” | “It’s a serious situation,” Ms. Greenberg said on Sunday. “Clearly, this site needs to be cleaned up.” |
| She emphasized that there was “no imminent risk to the public,” and that hazardous materials crews determined that the air and public drinking water had not been contaminated. | She emphasized that there was “no imminent risk to the public,” and that hazardous materials crews determined that the air and public drinking water had not been contaminated. |
| Hexavalent chromium is a cancer-causing manufacturing component that was featured in the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich.” Julia Roberts played Ms. Brockovich, an environmental activist and a central figure in a class-action lawsuit in the 1990s about groundwater contamination in California. | Hexavalent chromium is a cancer-causing manufacturing component that was featured in the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich.” Julia Roberts played Ms. Brockovich, an environmental activist and a central figure in a class-action lawsuit in the 1990s about groundwater contamination in California. |
| In Michigan, the green liquid was traced to a nearby plant, Electro-Plating Services Inc., in Madison Heights, Mich., Ms. Greenberg said. | In Michigan, the green liquid was traced to a nearby plant, Electro-Plating Services Inc., in Madison Heights, Mich., Ms. Greenberg said. |
| The state shut down the site in 2016 for improper storage of hazardous materials and it had already been designated as a Superfund cleanup site, The Detroit Free Press reported. The company’s owner, Gary A. Sayers, and his company pleaded guilty in February to illegally storing hazardous waste, according to federal prosecutors. | The state shut down the site in 2016 for improper storage of hazardous materials and it had already been designated as a Superfund cleanup site, The Detroit Free Press reported. The company’s owner, Gary A. Sayers, and his company pleaded guilty in February to illegally storing hazardous waste, according to federal prosecutors. |
| Mr. Sayers was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in cleanup costs. | Mr. Sayers was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in cleanup costs. |
| A lawyer for Mr. Sayers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. | A lawyer for Mr. Sayers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. |
| The chemicals had been stored in a pit in the basement of the plant, which Ms. Greenberg said was up from the highway embankment. Cleanup crews on Sunday were using a sump pump to remove the liquid. | The chemicals had been stored in a pit in the basement of the plant, which Ms. Greenberg said was up from the highway embankment. Cleanup crews on Sunday were using a sump pump to remove the liquid. |
| The Michigan Department of Transportation said it was first alerted to the ooze by a highway assistance driver. | |
| The interstate is north of Detroit and runs east-west. As of Sunday night, the eastbound lanes of Interstate 696 had reopened but barriers remained along the shoulder where the liquid had oozed onto the roadway. | The interstate is north of Detroit and runs east-west. As of Sunday night, the eastbound lanes of Interstate 696 had reopened but barriers remained along the shoulder where the liquid had oozed onto the roadway. |