On October 11, 2007, Michigan State Police closed Interstate 94 east of Kalamazoo to all traffic to investigate a van suspected of improperly transporting chemicals. Eastbound I-94 was closed at Sprinkle Road (Exit 80) and westbound I-94 at 35th Street (Exit 85) at 4 p.m.
A bomb squad and a hazardous materials team were called in to investigate the van's contents. Police officers were dispatched to the scene after a caller contacted central dispatch at the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department to report a suspicious person. When officers arrived they found an individual with a van and trailer that contained seven 55-gallon drums and a PVC cylinder.
The Michigan 51st Civil Support Team conducted preliminary screening of the drums for explosives, radiation, biological, and hazardous materials. The Kalamazoo Bomb Squad screened the PVC tube and observed a cylinder inside. The drums were overpacked and transported to Taplin Environmental.
The van driver told officials that he was hauling various chemicals such as aluminum oxide, sodium oxide, and barium oxide. The driver was transported to hospital for psychological evaluation.
On October 12, 2007, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality requested U.S. EPA support. U.S. EPA ERB and CID responded. U.S. EPA screened the items for VOC's, mercury, and radiation. The screening resulted in no detections.
All items located within the seven drums were removed and inventoried. The PVC cylinder contained a glass jar with a glass bottle of selenium inside. Various containers filled with chemicals were found including lithium oxide, magnesium metal, lithium fluoride, potassium sulfate, zinc sulfate, titanium dioxide, sodium thiosulfate, antimony, potassium chloride, and ferric oxide. Miscellaneous electronic equipment and approximately 12 x-ray plates were also found.
All of the chemicals and remaining items were placed back into the drums pending disposal.
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