Potential Tank Crack May Prevent California Chemical Explosion

(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- A potential crack in the bottom of a compromised chemical tank, which has prompted the evacuation of more than 50,000 people in the suburbs of Los Angeles, may prevent a previously feared explosion.

Orange County Fire Authority has worked since Friday to contain a chemical tank at a GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove, about 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles, after it overheated and leaked. Officials at the site have warned throughout the weekend that the tank could explode or leak, and Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the county.

TJ McGovern, the interim fire chief, said in a video update posted on Sunday that a team of firemen had visualized the entire tank during an operation Saturday night and had discovered a potential crack that was relieving pressure.

“With this new information, it could change our trajectory and our strategy to this event,” he said.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Sunday he has been told the“most likely scenario is one of a low volume release,” during an interview on CNN's State of The Union.

As the crisis stretches on, schools in the affected area have rescheduled graduations and told parents to prepare for online learning on Tuesday. The World Central Kitchen and the Red Cross are on the ground providing relief.

John Torpey, WCK's response director on the ground, told Bloomberg News that his organization will have provided 2,000 meals at the relief shelters by the end of the day. According to Garden Grove's website, four of the five shelters are currently full.

“It's very calm, people are being orderly, and people are being polite to each other,” Torpey said.“I think they recognize that this is temporary, and everybody's just trying to make the best of it while this terrible situation goes on.”

Two law firms, the X-Law Group and Presidio Law Firm, have filed a class action lawsuit against GKN Aerospace alleging that the company“breached their duties of care” by“negligently storing MMA in dangerous conditions” and“failing to properly inspect and maintain storage systems and equipment.” The company declined to comment about the suit and pointed to a previous statement. Government investigators have not yet provided details on what has caused the incident.

GKN is a unit of UK-based Melrose Industries Plc, which makes aerospace components such as landing gear, engine structures and electrical systems, according to its website. The situation at Garden Grove“remains ongoing” and GKN is working to“resolve the situation as safely as possible,” the company said in a statement.

The compromised tank holds some 7,000 gallons of a toxic chemical used to make plastics and fire officials are seeking to keep its temperature lower than 85F (29C). The county fire authority said late Saturday it had“good productive conversations” with environmental experts to prevent further spillage or damage from the tank.

“Hopefully, we can get that done before any failure in the tanks,” incident commander Craig Covey said.“I am not promising that we're going to fix that, but I'm promising you we're doing everything we can to give us a third option that does not involve damaging this community or damaging our environment.”

Harry Allen, the Los Angeles team lead for the EPA, said in a video message posted Saturday night that the agency hasn't detected contaminants at the 24 monitoring sites it has set up around the tank.

County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said the main concern is if the polymer reaches a high enough temperature and becomes a vapor. Inhaling that vapor, she said,“causes significant damage.”

“It can cause a lot of irritation to your eyes, your nose, your respiratory tract or your lungs,” she said in a video Friday.

(Updates with information on chemical tank, lawsuit and relief work)

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