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| Hazardous green chemical oozes on to Detroit highway | |
| (30 days later) | |
| Emergency services in the US state of Michigan are conducting a clean up operation after a dangerous greenish-yellow chemical oozed on to a highway. | |
| Police said the chemical was hexavalent chromium, which can cause cancer. | Police said the chemical was hexavalent 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 on to 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 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. |
| Hexavalent 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. | Hexavalent 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. |