DETROIT – Crews are testing samples of a potentially hazardous substance that was found in an abandoned building across the street from Commonwealth Industries in Detroit.
Officials have discovered abandoned chemicals at Commonwealth Industries, which was owned, at least one time, by Gary Sayers -- the man linked to the potentially hazardous green ooze that leaked onto I-696 in Madison Heights.
Now investigators are poking around at the buildings across the street of Commonwealth Industries. An environmental crew was sent out by the state to takes a closer look. Local 4 has learned several drums were found in an abandoned building, and more drums could be seen out in the open in the other building.
One was labeled “vinylcaprolactam,” or V-Cap. Local 4 went to the RTI laboratories in Livonia to learn more.
Lloyd Kaufman said V-Cap isn’t nearly as dangerous as the hexavalent chromium oozing from Electro Plating Services in Madison Heights, but it’s still not good to leave it lying around.
He said he’s not surprised that chemicals are turning up in new places, especially when people who have previously been in the chemical disposal business for decades, such as Sayers, are involved.
The environmental cleanup crew took samples from the drums Thursday and will test them to see just how dangerous the chemicals are. Then, they’ll try to find out who is responsible.
You can watch Jason Colthorp’s full story in the video posted above.