About 40,000 residents in the southern part of the US state of California had to quickly leave their homes after a massive leak of a dangerous chemical occurred at the GKN Aerospace plant in Garden Grove.
About 40,000 residents of the southern part of the US state of California were ordered to evacuate on Friday due to the release of a toxic chemical from a storage tank on the premises of an aerospace plant that produces plastic parts for commercial and military aircraft. TASR informs about it according to the reports of AP and DPA agencies.
- Approximately 40,000 residents of Southern California received evacuation orders.
- The leak of toxic methyl methacrylate occurred on the grounds of the GKN Aerospace Garden Grove plant.
- The chemical is highly toxic and flammable, the tank was dangerously overheated.
- Vapors cause significant irritation of the respiratory tract, dizziness, nausea and serious respiratory problems.
Local authorities have been trying to contain a tank containing the chemical methyl methacrylate from exploding at GKN Aerospace’s Garden Grove, Orange County manufacturing facility since Thursday afternoon. This chemical began to leak from the tank and subsequently began to overheat. The substance is highly toxic and flammable.
Extended evacuation of five cities
Authorities ordered the evacuation of the city and on Friday extended evacuation orders to some residents of five other cities in Orange County — Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster — after they failed to stop the reservoir leak overnight.
Meanwhile, the tank is cooled from the outside with water to prevent further heating. Another complication was caused by a faulty valve.
Warning of health risks
California Senator Tony Strickland called the situation a “massive industrial chemical spill” after a briefing with emergency and security officials.
Orange County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said the substance, when heated, releases vapors that can cause “significant irritation” to the lungs and nasal passages, as well as dizziness and nausea when inhaled. Long-term exposure can lead to “severe respiratory problems”. The authorities have therefore issued orders to evacuate the area around the spill site with an area of approximately 23 square kilometers.
