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Once the substance came up through the drain, it froze into a yellow blob, police said, citing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The metal is known to cause cancer and targets the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin and eyes, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is typically added to steel to increase hardenability and corrosion resistance, according to the administration.

Workers disposed of the frozen waste by scooping it up in an excavator and placing it in a safe container, police said. The cleanup was expected to take all weekend.

\"Please use caution as there will be workers in the area. And a yellow blob,\" police wrote on Twitter.

The metal gained notoriety after the release of the Oscar-winning 2000 drama \"Erin Brockovich,\" in which Julia Roberts played the real-life woman who discovered a cover-up involving contaminated water in California.

Health officials placed a priority on protecting and preserving the quality of the water in the Great Lakes region, Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller said in a statement.

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