EPA Begins $2.7M Hazardous Waste Cleanup at Vaping Supplies Warehouse

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to begin a hazardous cleanup at a vape supplies warehouse this week, which is expected to cost roughly $2.7 million.
“Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of cleanup of hazardous waste resulting from a fire and multiple explosions earlier this year at the former Goo Smoke Shop and Select Distributors Warehouse at 19100 15 Mile Road, Clinton Twp., Michigan,” the EPA said in a press release last week.
“In May, EPA conducted an initial cleanup to degas and recycle 3,582 intact compressed gas cylinders, and to remove three 55-gallon drums of lithium-ion batteries. The cleanup starting next week will address the remaining hazardous materials at the site, including uncovered cans of butane, intact compressed gas cylinders, vaping pens and lithium-ion batteries. The estimated cost of the cleanup is $2.7 million,” the press release said.
The announcement comes after the vape supplies warehouse was destroyed after its roof collapsed in March. Authorities attributed the disaster to improper storage of volatile materials. The owner now faces involuntary manslaughter charges after a 19-year-old man was killed by a nitrous oxide canister that struck him from a quarter-mile away.
“Initial reports indicated the presence of approximately 100,000 cans of ultra-refined butane, thousands of compressed gas cylinders containing nitrous oxide, as well as thousands of vape pens containing lithium-ion batteries. The fire and resulting projectile explosions spread potentially contaminated debris up to several miles in multiple directions,” the EPA said in a press release.
While speaking with reporters this week, Sean Kane of the EPA said, “We don’t know what we’re going to find in there.”
Kane expected that the EPA would likely find additional butane and nitrous oxide during their cleanup.
“We are actually going to go in and start segregating all the hazardous materials, and we will be doing a full removal of everything that you see in the background,” Kane said. “We’re going to be ramping up after Labor Day with more personnel on site.”
Kane stated that the EPA stepped in with a more significant role after cleanup negotiations between the government and the responsible parties stalled.
“There’s a stockpile of materials here the local fire department didn’t know about, the state of Michigan didn’t know about,” Kane said.
Clinton Township Supervisor Bob Cannon told reporters that the EPA “grabbed” the cleanup “by the horns” noting that their work has been “fabulous.”
“When they’re done, this property will be pristine and it will go for sale, and we will have something here that we can be proud of again,” Cannon said.