The status of Wayne County, Michigan, as a dumping ground for dangerous chemicals came into sharp focus after recent disclosures that hazardous waste from a train derailment was being shipped to Michigan. The news prompted an outcry from residents, local officials and lawmakers, especially considering residents weren’t given advance notice about the toxic shipments from the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment.

Although public outrage led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt the shipments, the incident brought attention to the vast amount of harmful toxic waste handled every day by hazardous waste facilities in Michigan.

About Michigan’s Hazardous Waste Facilities

Michigan is home to the automotive industry and a wide range of manufacturing companies. Several of these facilities produce toxic waste that must be managed. According to an article in Farmer’s Advance, this service is also offered – and marketed – to other states. EPA data shows Wayne Disposal received at least 417,000 tons of hazardous waste from New York, Massachusetts, and several other states in 2021 and 2022.

North America’s largest hazardous waste processing facility, Michigan Disposal Inc., and one of the largest hazardous waste landfills in the United States, Wayne Disposal Inc., are each located in Michigan. Wayne Disposal is licensed to receive 722 different types of hazardous waste – compounds that have been designated as potentially too harmful to the public or the environment for disposal in a conventional landfill. This includes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), making Wayne Disposal one of only 12 landfills in the U.S. licensed to receive these chemicals.

Waste received by Michigan Disposal and Wayne Disposal include some of the most dangerous known chemicals, including:

• Dioxins
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Cyanide compounds
• PFAs (“forever chemicals”)
• Arsenic
• Asbestos

What is ‘Acute Waste’?

“Acute wastes” are those that could kill, permanently incapacitate or otherwise seriously harm people, even through small exposures. According to EPA data, Michigan Disposal received nearly 500,000 tons of acute waste from 2019 through June 2023; Wayne Disposal landfill received almost 3,700 tons of acute waste.

Acute hazardous wastes are more strictly regulated than those that are flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic.

How Does Living Near a Hazardous Waste Site Impact Health?

Studies confirm the negative health effects facing residents who live near hazardous waste sites:

• PCBs and dioxins are linked to liver, bladder and breast cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and asthma.
• Arsenic and its compounds are tied to NHL, liver and bladder cancers.
• PFAs are associated with breast and testis cancers, as well as congenital anomalies.

Research shows there is an elevated risk of preterm birth among infants born to women living near hazardous waste sites. There is also an increased risk of low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), living near a hazardous waste site has been identified as a possible risk factor for birth defects such as:

• Spina bifida
• Cleft lip or palate
• Chromosomal congenital anomalies, such as down syndrome
• Some heart and blood vessel defects

How We Help Victims of Toxic Exposure

Seek justice with the help of our experienced attorneys. Our Dallas, Texas, benzene law firm has battled corporate giants on behalf of individuals like you for 20 years, aggressively fighting to hold them responsible for dangerous chemicals and the personal injuries and cancers they cause. If you have suffered a catastrophic injury caused by dangerous products, we can help.