A large storage tank containing toxic chemicals leaked in Orange County, Southern California, posing an explosion risk. Around 40,000 nearby residents received evacuation orders on the 22nd.
The tank at an aerospace manufacturing plant in Garden Grove, Orange County, was found to be releasing vapor on the 21st. The tank has a capacity of about 34,000 gallons (one gallon is approximately 3.79 liters) and contained about 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate. This industrial chemical is flammable, can irritate the skin and eyes, and can cause respiratory and nervous system damage.
After the incident, the local fire department's hazardous materials response team began cooling the tank. Fire department officials indicated that due to a valve failure and the inability to remove and neutralize the toxic chemicals in the tank, the situation escalated. The tank remains in a continuous state of crisis and cannot be safely controlled.
Incident commander Kekovi pointed out that there are now only two possibilities.
He said: "Either the tank fails, releasing about 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of highly toxic chemicals into the parking lot area, or the tank undergoes a thermal runaway explosion, which would then impact surrounding tanks containing fuel or chemicals."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has currently deployed equipment around the plant to monitor the concentration of chemicals in the air. As of the afternoon of the 22nd local time, no impact on local air quality had been detected.