Detroit building boarded up after green chemical found inside

Substance found in concrete pits

DETROIT – A substance discovered Friday in a Detroit building will be tested because officials believe it is the same chemical found on I-696 in Madison Heights last month.

READ: Officials suspect Detroit building contains same chemical found on I-696

The Commonwealth Industry building on Commonwealth Street is owned by Gary Sayers, the man believed to be responsible for the carcinogenic green chemical spill on I-696.

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

Crews worked all weekend boarding up the building and locking the doors.

“Some of the liquid in some of the pits are green, which is similar to what we found at the Madison Heights property," said Jill Greenberg with the Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. "That’s why we’re gonna have contractors on site Monday to do additional tests to figure out what is the substance and what extent of contamination exists at the site.”

A fence around the building is expected to be built Monday to keep people out.


About the Authors:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.