The Associated Press
ROMULUS, Mich.- Lead, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic materials are among 37 items found in fallout from a fire at a suburban Detroit chemical plant earlier this month, according to a published report.
Ash and soot was collected and tested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency following the Aug. 9 explosion and fire at the E.Q. Resource Recovery Inc. plant, about 25 miles southwest of Detroit, where chemicals such as airplane deicing fluid and industrial paint solvents are recycled.
The Detroit Free Press reported Friday that it has obtained a preliminary list of items detected in the fallout.
It may be months before the data is made into a formal report that can be publicly released by the EPA. Agency officials said it must first be verified.
Federal, state and local health officials have said many of the items in the ash are commonly found in soil and air and only cause problems when they reach dangerous levels.
They have said materials found are within safe levels.
“It’s not a toxic mess. It’s basically a nuisance mess,” said Christina Bush, a Michigan Department of Community Health toxicologist.
According to the preliminary list, many items found are known or suspected cancer-causing agents, or those that can disrupt hormones or lead to developmental problems in children. The list does not specify at what levels chemicals were found.
Some experts are concerned that results have not been released for independent review.
“It violates any common sense,” said Joel Kupferman, an attorney with the New York Environmental Law and Justice Project, who is working with doctors and lawyers in Michigan regarding the chemical plant matter. “They should definitely be releasing information they have. ... It’s a concern that people are being lulled into complacency.”
Michael Harbut, a Royal Oak doctor treating residents living near the chemical plant, said having data is essential for proper care.
“This is stuff that settled into the soil that kids play in,” he said. “There is no level of lead going into the body that is a safe level.”