Berger, Missouri. More than 13 million pounds of hazardous industrial powder accumulated inside an abandoned warehouse in rural Missouri after a failed recycling effort involving a federal contractor and regulatory loopholes spanning multiple states, according to a joint investigation by KBIA and The Beacon.
The material, contaminated with lead, cadmium, and chromium, originated as spent plastic sandblasting media used by U.S. Technology Corp., an Ohio-based company that provided services to federal agencies and defense contractors. The powder was initially shipped to Yazoo City, Mississippi, where a subcontractor attempted to recycle it into concrete blocks. That effort collapsed, leaving large quantities buried and stockpiled at the site.
After Mississippi regulators ordered the material removed, U.S. Technology transported the powder to Berger, Missouri, beginning in late 2013. Truckloads arrived almost daily, eventually filling the warehouse with material from Mississippi and additional facilities in other states. Regulators later determined the powder qualified as hazardous waste and should not have been moved without proper permits.
Federal and state authorities later concluded that the material had been “speculatively accumulated,” meaning it no longer qualified for recycling exemptions under federal law. By that point, drums had ruptured, sacks had spilled, and workers and nearby residents faced exposure risks.
Cleanup efforts took years and were partially funded by taxpayers. Federal prosecutors later accused company officials of illegally transporting and storing hazardous waste, arguing the material was moved to avoid millions of dollars in disposal costs.
The site has since become part of a broader Superfund investigation examining how regulatory exemptions, poor oversight, and cost-saving decisions allowed toxic materials to remain unsecured for years.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
