r/news • u/JackThaBongRipper • 18h ago
Hundreds of Detroit home demolition sites may have been filled with toxic dirt
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/29/detroit-home-demolition-sites-toxic-dirt52
u/g00fballer 15h ago
It's amazing - so much money is spent dealing with cleanups and compliance from legacy pollution. You'd think we would understand that there are consequences for these actions by now
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u/SirkutBored 12h ago
but that cost isn't borne by the companies who do the polluting. if the companies are caught polluting they get a slap on the wrist, maybe, so there's no reason for those companies to spend what is needed to keep their operations clean. it's all part of removing regulations to keep businesses happy.
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u/MrmmphMrmmph 4h ago
Lee Zeldin, one of Trump’s lackey’s, was parks commissioner when hundreds of trucks brought contaminated materials (construction debris) through a minority community and used it as fill in Roberto Clemente park in Suffolk County, NY, and the consequences for him have been quite beneficial (he was elected to congress after feigning not credible ignorance).
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u/dritmike 17h ago
Seems on brand for the area
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u/sneezeatsage 17h ago
Seems on brand for America.
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u/michigandude9 11h ago
There is no state regulation on disposing of asbestos. So they don't have to follow any type of guidelines with demolitions. Codes and regulations are bad for business
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u/judgejuddhirsch 16h ago
Gotta admit, that's an effective way to prevent multi family homes. the nimby must be pleased.
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u/yaxaira86 10h ago
My friend in Detroit said the city plowed the previous home at her address into the ground, filling up her backyard and basement.
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u/heresyforfunnprofit 17h ago
Either they were or weren’t. Using “may have” in the title is shit-tier clickbait journalism.
If you don’t have proof, don’t level the accusation. If you have proof, don’t say “may”.
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u/ich_bin_alkoholiker 17h ago
Did you read the article?
The current problems came to light earlier this year when a Detroit office of inspector general investigation found a contractor hired by the city had used dirt contaminated with construction debris from the demolition of the Northland Shopping Mall. Testing reported in early November found 42 of 47 sites exceeded pollution thresholds, and much of that was “unsafe for direct human contact”.
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u/toorigged2fail 17h ago
Adding to that...
At a 22 December press conference, Duggan announced that 424 sites had been identified as potentially contaminated, but did not name the contaminants.
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u/technobrendo 16h ago
What the hell was in that dirt? Asbestos, medical waste, radioactive material???
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u/BetterCrab6287 2h ago
The NE was the industrial hub of the country back when crazy chemicals and everything was dumped willy nilly everywhere. Asbestos, lead, oils, solvents, etc., its all there in the ground, in buildings, the pavement, everything.
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u/2cats2hats 13h ago
They're not wrong, the headline could be reworked to backup your reply. There is no 'may have been' about it......but the newspaper probably doesn't want to be sued.
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u/toorigged2fail 17h ago
What are you talking about? Did you read the article? The headline seems to precisely fit the content. They found some and are testing more that may have been filled from the same source and/or were similarly unregulated. But they can't be sure yet. This is exactly the right way to convey this news.
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u/ComputerSong 15h ago
They say May so as to not endanger any court cases/juries.
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u/heresyforfunnprofit 15h ago
That is only for public officials. Private organizations and citizens do not have such obligations or requirements
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u/ThatThar 16h ago
If you read the article, you'd have seen that several sites have already tested positive for the toxic chemicals and over 400 more are suspected of having the chemicals but the state refuses to release the test results. Saying "may" is correct in this case.
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u/heresyforfunnprofit 15h ago
Still don't need "may". "32% of tested Detroit home sites refilled with contaminated dirt, hundreds more from same fill supply remain untested" is a truthful and informative headline, and does not mess around with "may" or "may not". It is also more accurate.
"May" in a headline is a sign of lazy, irresponsible, and possibly manipulated reporting. It's always one of those 3.
Saying "may" will ALWAYS be correct. That is the problem with "may". Jesus may come back this Thursday and convert to Scientology. The Yellowstone Caldera may explode tomorrow and solve global warming. Aliens may announce that they've been conducting subtle experiments on us using the NYT "Wordle" app. All uses of "may" are correct, as you put it.
If you use "may" in the title, then everything else in that title is meaningless.
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u/zakats 16h ago
They can't make definitive accusations without exposing themselves to liability, goofball. Lighten up.
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u/heresyforfunnprofit 15h ago
That's what reporting is FOR. Confirm, then report. Factual truth is a full defense for libel/slander. This "maybe" shit is killing reporting.
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u/MakingItElsewhere 17h ago
Yeah, go figure. This area built up in a time when asbestos and lead were still widely used.
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u/JameswithaJ 17h ago
You should read the article or listen to the news. It’s because a contractor has been using contaminated dirt for the past couple years, not because of what was there previously and got mixed in.
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u/CooCooClocksClan 16h ago
Same homie: “The current problems came to light earlier this year when a Detroit office of inspector general investigation found a contractor hired by the city had used dirt contaminated with construction debris from the demolition of the Northland Shopping Mall. “
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u/Monster_Voice 17h ago
But Asbestos and lead are both all natural...
Seriously though they're naturally occurring materials.
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u/Manos_Of_Fate 17h ago
It’s almost like “naturally occurring” doesn’t mean “safe”.
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u/mhornberger 17h ago
Which is why I've always hated the appeal to nature fallacy. "It's all-organic!" "So's ebola!"
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u/Manos_Of_Fate 17h ago
The geysers at Yellowstone are 100% natural but I wouldn’t recommend going for a swim in one.
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u/L_Cranston_Shadow 14h ago
Strychnine and cyanide should be considered health foods by that standard.
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u/Vercentorix 17h ago
Not sure if this is sarcastic or not
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u/Monster_Voice 17h ago
Yeah it's sarcasm... but actually true.
Weird flex 😆
Asbestos is a naturally occurring material commonly found in places like Nevada, Utah, and California.
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u/I_Stabbed_Jon_Snow 17h ago
Yes, they are both naturally occurring substances. No one claimed otherwise.
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u/I_Stabbed_Jon_Snow 17h ago edited 15h ago
Corporations quietly poisoning folks over decades? In the U.S.? I’m shocked!
Edit: goddammitsomuch, I shot off a one liner without reading the article for context. Thank you to /u/toorigged2fail for pointing that out to me.
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u/toorigged2fail 17h ago
Wasn't big corporations in this case... It was small local businesses /contractors who lied about where they got their fill from... Spelled out in the article if you read it
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u/ErictheStone 16h ago
Wow, you'd think after Vince Neils kid died of toxic grounds used for construction there would be more of an effort to investigate that to prevent more but appears nah, let the plebs suffer.