OC officials walk back claim of ‘no leakage’ in chemical tank crisis

Orange County health officials are walking back a claim that no vapors or smoke were released during the chemical tank disaster at the Garden Grove airport two weeks ago, but state officials have maintained that any leaks did not pose a major public health risk.

The Los Angeles Times asked the Orange County Healthcare Agency about the statement of Health Officer Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, who during a press conference on Memorial Day said “there was no pollution, there was no smoke, there was no vapor from this incident, there was no leak.”

Chinsio-Kwong’s statement appears to contradict repeated statements by Orange County Fire Authority officials, whose leaders said they responded on May 21 to a disabled tank at a Garden Grove airport that was “venting some smoke,” and that “there is a release of smoke from a tank containing an industrial chemical used in plastics and a production valve.”

Additionally, a reference to the vapor release appeared in a hazardous materials spill report released on May 21 by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Citing information from GKN Aerospace, the report said “the material contained in an external above-ground tank at the tank farm began to experience a thermal reaction causing heat and fumes to be emitted from the storage tank.”

“The top of the storage tank began to explode, and smoke was released for about 5 minutes until crews used a manual fire extinguishing system.” The report said that about 300 workers were released from the facility.

The tank contained 7,000 gallons of a highly reactive liquid chemical known as methyl methacrylate, or MMA, which is used to make things like Plexiglass. Inhaling MMA can irritate the lungs and, at high exposure levels, can cause severe respiratory distress and hospitalization; Long-term exposure has been linked to severe organ damage.

Fire officials said steam conditions improved over time, and the next day – Friday – fire officials said no more steam was being released from the disabled tank purge valve, as they warned that rising temperatures in the tank indicated the risk of a catastrophic explosion. On the same day, the authorities issued a new evacuation order, urging 50,000 people to flee the area.

In response to questions from The Times, the Orange County Healthcare Agency said it did not dispute statements that chemical vapors were released from a pressurized tank on May 21. “During the initial phase of any incident response, it is common for initial reports from different agencies to differ as information is still developing,” the agency said.

Agency officials clarified that air monitoring began on May 22, and when it began, “all readings taken from all responses remain at normal levels, indicating that MMA has not been released from the monitored areas.”

Available information indicates that “there is no risk of MMA exposure on Friday [May 22] continued from this incident. In accordance with the advice of the California Department of Public Health, MMA is not expected to be present in homes, businesses, schools, or other buildings in the evacuated area,” the Orange County Healthcare Agency said in a statement sent to The Times.

None of the airborne MMA sensors were operational on May 21, when the problem first emerged. “Because direct monitoring of MMA was established later in the response, we are unable to re-evaluate conditions from the beginning of the day on May 21,” the agency said.

Air monitoring continued after the emissions were removed, and air quality readings remained in the normal range, the agency said.

“No MMA was found in the community. Air monitoring continues to be done in the nearby area for further observation until the cleanup is completed,” the agency said.

The California Department of Public Health accompanied the state’s statement, saying “the health and safety hazard has been eliminated.” Officials said they should consider ventilating the house — ridding it of any bad odors or trash odors — but also said they don’t expect the product on the back to be affected, and they didn’t recommend any special cleaning of outdoor areas, patios, cars or play structures before use.

The federal agency said that the water supply and quality in the surrounding areas and areas remain safe and reliable, and that the results of air monitoring of volatile organic compounds such as MMA are similar to the normal background level.

“Based on these data, there is no risk to the public from exposure to MMA in this incident,” the Department of Public Health said. “No long-term health effects are expected in the community as a result of this incident.”

The Orange County Healthcare Agency asked the US Environmental Protection Agency for help during the disaster, and more than 20 air monitors were deployed to analyze chemicals in the air, according to Chris Myers, a consultant from the agency.

During a Memorial Day news conference, Myers said the equipment did not detect any “excesses” of the chemical in the air.

In a separate statement Tuesday, the Orange County Healthcare Agency said residents may smell odors Thursday and Friday related to chemical releases from the damaged tank.

“MMA has a distinct fruity or plastic-like odor. The product has a very low odor, which means people can detect the odor even when the concentration is below levels related to health concerns,” said health officials.

The inactive MMA will be removed from the airline’s tanks “into sealed trucks for transport and disposal,” officials said.

A contracted hazardous materials hauler has already removed part of the inactive MMA chemical by May 29, health officials said, and the wastewater is being analyzed for proper disposal. On Saturday, water collected from the sprinkler system – used to cool a pressurized tank during the disaster – was “pumped out and stored on site pending analysis before proper disposal,” health officials said.

The Orange County Healthcare Agency said it will provide updates about the cleanup on its website at ochealthinfo.com.

Orange County. He said. Todd Spitzer has opened a criminal investigation into the incident, and more than half a dozen lawsuits have been filed against the company in Orange County Superior Court.

Water was sprayed on May 24 at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove to control the rising temperature inside the storage tank.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Authorities suspect that the cooling system responsible for maintaining the temperature of the pressure tank at GKN Aerospace failed, leading to the crisis and forcing the evacuation of parts of Garden Grove, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress and Westminster.

During this crisis, all the workers and firefighters could do was to spray cool water on the tank, hoping that by cooling it, the disaster could be averted. On Memorial Day, officials confirmed they had found a crack in the tank and it was no longer pressurized, taking concerns of a catastrophic explosion — a “boiling liquid vapor explosion,” or BLEVE — to the table. A day later, on May 26, officials said the threat of a small explosion had been eliminated, and all remaining evacuation orders had been lifted.

GKN Aerospace has apologized for the crisis, which hit Southern California over the holiday weekend and forced many residents to huddle in shelters.

The company said it has been in Garden Grove since 1966, and more than 500 employees work at the facility, which manufactures windows and canopies for airplanes and spacecraft. The company has produced more than 2 million cabin windows for the Boeing 737 spacecraft, and “our ultra-clear transparent technology also recreates the view from the Artemis II spacecraft back to Earth.”

In a statement Wednesday, GKN Aerospace said it is providing $3 million to the OC Community Resilience Fund, managed by the Orange County United Way, “to provide assistance to those affected by the recent evacuation.”

The British-based company said it has already donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to support residents affected by the evacuation, and plans to use another $1 million to “support broader community programs throughout Orange County.” It also created a website, gkngg.com, to answer questions.

Times writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.