Chemical tank heats up abnormally, 50,000 Americans evacuated.

Rescue workers in Orange County, California, are racing against time to cool down a tank containing toxic chemicals to prevent a catastrophic explosion.

Water is being continuously sprayed in the area where the tank malfunctioned to cool it down. Photo: Reuters .

According to CNN , efforts to cool down the chemical tanks are taking place while approximately 50,000 residents living around the GKN Aerospace Transparency aerospace company in Orange County, California, are still under emergency evacuation orders.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County on May 23rd, as the state rushed to strengthen its response to the hazardous chemical incident. The evacuation zone now covers an area of ​​approximately 23 square kilometers around the GKN Aerospace Transparency facility.

“People need to evacuate to safety because if an incident occurs, the wind direction could change unexpectedly, and we can’t control the weather. We’re dealing with a highly volatile, toxic, and flammable chemical,” said Craig Covey, the incident response commander for the Orange County Fire Department.

50,000 people evacuated due to an unusually hot chemical tank.

Over the past three days, local authorities have been working to prevent a methyl methacrylate (MMA) storage tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency from exploding. The risk emerged on May 22nd when the temperature inside one of the three chemical tanks rose unusually high, releasing chemical vapors.

The heated tank activated the pressure relief valve and the water spraying system above the tank to cool it down. The other two tanks have been neutralized and pose no risk.

During the process of dealing with the problem, rescue teams discovered that the valve of the heating tank was damaged, preventing the chemicals from draining out, forcing authorities to issue an evacuation order.

Approximately 50,000 residents living around the GKN Aerospace Transparency aerospace company in Orange County, California, USA, have been evacuated. Photo: Reuters .

Captain Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Department said air quality is currently "still good," with readings remaining within safe limits. However, some residents have reported experiencing symptoms such as throat and nasal irritation and dizziness in recent days.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), MMA is a chemical used in plastic manufacturing and can cause respiratory problems.

Emergency response teams continued cooling the storage tank on May 24th. Local officials had previously used drones to measure the temperature and determined that the chemical tank was gradually cooling down. However, the temperature of the chemical tank rose again on May 24th, reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 32 degrees Celsius), which was considered a bad sign.

"On the morning of May 23rd, the temperature was recorded at 77 degrees Fahrenheit, but since then the chemical tank has been rising at an average of about 1 degree Fahrenheit per hour, which is bad news," Commander Craig Covey stated.

Captain Concialdi said rescue teams are racing against time to stabilize the damaged chemical tank. They are trying to cool and neutralize the chemicals, hoping that the chemicals in the tank will solidify. However, Concialdi also warned that the solidification process could fail.

"There are several possible scenarios. The tank could crack and spill all 26,000 liters of chemicals, or a catastrophic explosion could occur, affecting the two remaining chemical tanks as well," said the fire department captain.

Mr. Concialdi added that authorities had prepared a chemical spill containment area in case of a real tank failure, including the construction of dams and the use of sandbag systems.

Officials said they could not yet determine the exact temperature that could cause the chemical tank to ignite or explode. According to Mr. Concialdi, the priority is to prevent the chemicals from flowing into the river system and surrounding environment, in order to protect people's homes and the local environment.

A representative from GKN Aerospace Transparency stated: “We are focusing all our efforts on coordinating with emergency response teams, hazardous materials handling teams, and relevant authorities to ensure the safety of the local community. We apologize for any disruption to the work and lives of residents and other businesses.”

An unprecedented risk.

GKN Aerospace Transparency specializes in manufacturing aircraft components. Their facility in Orange County supplies glazing systems for both military and commercial aircraft.

An inspection at the facility in November 2020 uncovered several violations. Specifically, the South Coast Air Quality Management Agency (AQMD) determined that the facility did not maintain adequate records of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, a type of substance that can cause serious air pollution if released at dangerous levels.

A lockdown is underway around the GKN Aerospace Transparency aerospace company. Photo: Reuters .

The inspectors also discovered that the company was operating new equipment without a license and using some equipment that did not match the description in the current license. Furthermore, the company modified licensed equipment without applying for license adjustments as required by regulations.

Following two notices from authorities requiring the company to rectify the situation in late 2020 and early 2021, which the company failed to fully comply with, GKN Aerospace Transparency was fined approximately $900,000 in April 2021.

Orange County health officials said the air outside the evacuation zone remains safe. Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, a health official in Orange County, said exposure to MMA chemicals can cause “severe irritation” of the lungs and nasal passages, as well as dizziness and nausea.

According to her, there are currently not many documented cases of the effects of MMA chemicals on humans, so it is difficult to predict the actual consequences if an explosion occurs. Therefore, people are advised to stay away from the evacuation area.

"We are facing a problem we have never encountered before, and there is very little useful information available in the medical field on this issue," said Chinsio-Kwong.

Miguel Loo, who lives in the evacuation zone, said he and his family had been suffering from headaches since May 22nd. His family had to sleep in their car on the night of May 23rd before finding a hotel outside the evacuation zone.

Stanton Van Ly said his family took a long time to leave the evacuation zone due to severe traffic congestion. “There were helicopters and drones flying overhead; it was chaotic. My throat and nose were sore, and my wife was dizzy,” Van Ly said.

However, Captain Concialdi reassured the public through the media that "there is currently nothing toxic or dangerous outside the evacuation zone." "People may be worried and confused, but there is currently no significant harm," Concialdi said.

Source: https://znews.vn/bon-hoa-chat-nong-len-bat-thuong-50000-dan-my-so-tan-post1653864.html