Livonia families claim Ford's clean up of cancer-causing chemicals has failed

LIVONIA, Mich. (FOX 2) - A group of families in Livonia say Ford's efforts to clean up chemicals that had migrated from the Ford Livonia Transmission Plant into their neighborhoods, has failed.

In Livonia's Alden Village neighborhood, Bruce Tenniswood and others say they are still living the nightmare. 

They sued in 2017, claiming that vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing chemical that Ford uses at the plant, was seeping into their neighborhood. They say the company's efforts to handle the problem - through vapor mitigation systems - are not working. Tenniswood said crews were on the street to install the systems.

"There's been ongoing litigation against Ford Motor Company for contamination," 

"It sucks those vapors out and exhausts them up into the air - away from people. That's how it's supposed to work. That's not necessarily how it's working," Tenniswood said. 

Ford said that every indication is that there is no health risk to residents, including through drinking water: 

"We have installed and activated systems to limit the spread of the issue."

Tenniswood and others say the solution is a bust. He also said that his home didn't even receive one of the systems.

"They're finding the systems that they're putting in are laden with problems. Quite frankly, most of them don't work," he said. "It's a rather random system they're using to choose who gets a vapor mitigation system and who doesn't."

Families are demanding Ford immediately install a barrier at the plant to prevent continued migration of its chemicals into the neighborhood.

"They're not doing what they need to do on their end - that is to keep chemicals in their end," Tenniswood said.

Teeniswood is now running for Mayor of Livonia because of the "lack of action being done.

Daniel Barbossa with Ford Communications released this statement: