Substance that looks like green ooze found on I-696 discovered in Detroit building

Gary Sayers owned building

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – A substance that looks like the one found on I-696 in Madison Heights last month was discovered in a Detroit building Friday.

Officials were at the Commonwealth Industry building on Commonwealth Street, west of the Lodge Freeway and north of I-94 because records show that, at one point, the building was owned by Gary Sayers. Sayers owned the now-condemned Electro-Plating Services in Madison Heights.

MORE: Discovery of substance on I-696 leads to multi-county contamination investigation

Sayers is in prison after he pleaded guilty to storing hazardous waste without a permit.

Hexavalent chromium was seeping onto the freeway from the building.

Officials said several 8-foot by 10-foot concrete pits were found inside the Commonwealth Industry building. The pits had a substance that resembles the green ooze on I-696.

Further inspections and testing will be done at the Detroit building.

In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency is currently evaluating test results of water and soil samples taken from near Electro-Plating Services. Test results from inside the building revealed high levels of PFOS.


About the Authors

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

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