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Hazardous green chemical oozes onto Detroit highway | Hazardous green chemical oozes onto Detroit highway |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Emergency services in the US state of Michigan are conducting a clean up operation after a dangerous greenish-yellow chemical oozed onto a highway. | Emergency services in the US state of Michigan are conducting a clean up operation after a dangerous greenish-yellow chemical oozed onto a highway. |
Police said the chemical was hexavelent chromium, which can cause cancer. | Police said the chemical was hexavelent chromium, which can cause cancer. |
Environmental officials said the clean-up operation would last for days. | Environmental officials said the clean-up operation would last for days. |
The chemical appeared to come from a business in the Detroit suburbs that was shut down in 2016 for illegally storing hazardous materials, state environmental officials said. | The chemical appeared to come from a business in the Detroit suburbs that was shut down in 2016 for illegally storing hazardous materials, state environmental officials said. |
A spokesperson for Michigan's Department of Environment said the substance did not pose an imminent risk to public health, drinking water or air quality. | A spokesperson for Michigan's Department of Environment said the substance did not pose an imminent risk to public health, drinking water or air quality. |
Police said the chemical ran from the basement of the building onto the ground and then found its way through a drain which then empties onto the I 696 highway. | Police said the chemical ran from the basement of the building onto the ground and then found its way through a drain which then empties onto the I 696 highway. |
The Environmental Protection Agency said once the chemical came up through the drain, it froze. The agency said workers would scoop frozen liquid from the highway and place it in a safe container. | The Environmental Protection Agency said once the chemical came up through the drain, it froze. The agency said workers would scoop frozen liquid from the highway and place it in a safe container. |
The leaked hexavalent chromium in Michigan came from a commercial building which housed Electro-Plating Services, officials said. The business was shut down when inspectors discovered hundreds of containers filled with hazardous waste. | |
The company's owner, Gary Sayers, is serving a year in federal prison for operating an unlicensed hazardous storage waste facility. | The company's owner, Gary Sayers, is serving a year in federal prison for operating an unlicensed hazardous storage waste facility. |
Hexavelent chromium was referenced in the film Erin Brockovich, which told the story of an activist who sued a California energy company after the chemical leaked into a town's water supply. | Hexavelent chromium was referenced in the film Erin Brockovich, which told the story of an activist who sued a California energy company after the chemical leaked into a town's water supply. |