About 40,000 residents of southern California were ordered to evacuate on Friday after a toxic chemical leaked from a storage tank at an aerospace plant.which manufactures plastic parts for commercial and military aircraft. TASR informs about it according to the reports of AP and DPA agencies.
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.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of the city and on Friday extended evacuation orders to some residents of five other cities v Orange County – Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park a Westminster – after that which they failed to stop the leak from the tank overnight.
Meanwhile, the tank is cooled from the outside with water to prevent further heating. Another complication was caused by a faulty valve. California Senator Tony Strickland described the situation after a briefing with rescue and security officials for a “massive spill of industrial chemicals”.
Orange County Health Officer Regina Chinsio-Kwong said that when the substance is heated, it releases vapors that can cause “significant irritation” of the lungs and nasal passages, as well as dizziness and nausea. 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.
