CHICAGO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ford Motor Company has promised to clean up harmful chemicals which polluted the soil and underground water in 1980s near one of his plants in Michigan State, the Detroit News reported on Monday.
The contamination came from trichloroethylene, a solvent used as a part of degreaser at Ford's transmission plant at Livonia, located 37 kilometers west of Detroit.
According to a settlement with Michigan authorities, Ford greed to pay the state some 45,000 U.S. dollars, take steps to clean the chemicals and make plans to prevent future contamination.
Trichloroethylene produces central nervous system depression resulting in anesthesia. Researches have also showed that exposure to the chemical could lead to liver and kidney cancers in mice.
Ford reported in 2016 that samples with chemicals, including trichloroethylene, were found underground near its Livonia plant, but said they posed no health risk to residents. It claimed that drinking water was not at risk.
However, Michigan authorities have accused Ford of handling the contaminants "in such a manner that may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health and the environment."
