SOUTH BUFFALO, N.Y. — Cleaning crews have started to clean a couple's South Buffalo home, more than a month since it became stained with a mysterious blue substance.
On June 1 Katie and Mike Haefner were moving into their new South Buffalo home. They hired private movers, and rented a truck from Penske for the job.
The Haefner's said as things came off the truck, boxes and furniture were turning blue. They said the substance was at first invisible until it came in contact with sweat.
"The movers started turning blue, and we noticed some of our stuff were turning blue as well," said Mike Haenfer. "Basically everything in the house is contaminated, anything in the truck was turning blue as we were cleaning it."
They called a hazmat team. The Haefner's said they were told the substance was believed to be copper sulfate, a pesticide. However it still needs to be confirmed.
Since our original 7 Problem Solvers story on this issue aired, Mike Haefner said Penske tested the substance. Based on chemical test reports, the company was unable to confirm what it was.
"Definitely very concerned, it was covering our entire household," said Katie Haefner. "I didn't know with my daughter how this would affect us."
The couple said they had headaches in the days the followed, and Katie had a rare random nose bleed.
7 Problem Solver Michael Schwartz interviewed the couple at one of the AirBnbs they were staying at.
The Haefner's told Schwartz Penske was doing an investigation on it. The company told Schwartz at the time:
“Penske Truck Rental’s top priority is customer safety and satisfaction. While it is unclear where this unknown substance came from, Penske has taken several steps to address this situation. First, Penske isolated and locked down its truck so that we could hire the appropriate engineering company to conduct a forensic inspection and analysis of the quarantined truck. Penske has removed the truck from its operations until such time that it is properly inspected and sanitized. Next, Penske is working through the process of paying both the remediation costs incurred by our customer to clean the house and her household belongings, as well as related costs. Although the source of the substance remains unknown, Penske’s focus is on safety and customer satisfaction, including reimbursing our customer her rental charge for the truck.”
Schwartz followed up with Penske in the weeks that followed, and he was told limited information. That was until July 11 when cleaning finally started at the South Buffalo home.
The Haefner's are hoping to officially move into their cleaned home as soon as possible.
If you have a consumer issue that you need help getting addressed, email Michael at 7ProblemSolvers@WKBW.com
