Evacuation order related to overheated chemical tank near Los Angeles is fully lifted

Evacuation order related to overheated chemical tank near Los Angeles is fully lifted

Health officials say there was no contamination or fumes released from the tank holding methyl methacrylate

Officials say they are lifting evacuation orders for the final 16,000 residents who live near a damaged chemical tank in California, after earlier declaring that the risk of a catastrophic explosion had largely passed.

The crisis forced 50,000 people to evacuate from in and around the Orange County city of Garden Grove last week. A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the U.S. Memorial Day weekend. The evacuation order for 34,000 residents was lifted Monday night.

But the risk of a smaller explosion or potential spill kept orders in place for about a third of the evacuees. Many were living out of hotel rooms, tents, emergency shelters at schools or staying with family or friends.

The tank contains methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. Health officials have assured residents that there was no contamination or fumes released.

Officials say they will keep monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and storm drains.

Isabel Mendez said a rash broke out on her face and she developed tingling lips and a sore throat while evacuating last week. After spending several expensive nights in a hotel, she was staying with her mother in the Los Angeles area.

Mendez said she remains uncertain about returning home because she does not trust official assurances that the area is safe. "Of course it is still dangerous," she said.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate — a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics — can cause serious respiratory and neurological problems, as well as irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields, contains between 22,700 and 26,500 litres of the chemical.

"We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing, and our priority remains its safe resolution," the company said, "so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible."

Potential crack in California chemical tank could avert explosion, officials say

Crews at the California plant worked overnight to ensure two nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau said.

The tank overheated because a valve on the cooling system failed, fire officials said.

"That's what kept it at 50 degrees," or 10 C, said Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey.

"Due to that failure, the tank went into the heating-up process because it wasn't continuing to be chilled," he said at a news conference Monday evening.

Crews sprayed water on the tank until the interior temperature stabilized to 33.3 C, down from 37.7 C over the weekend, the fire department said Tuesday.

The sprinkler system at the facility continues to douse the tank, and the company said its technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

Fire officials also tested storm drain water and found it was clean, McGovern said.

"There was no contamination," Orange County's health director, Regina Chinsio-Kwong, said at a Monday news conference. "You should feel comfortable going home even if you're across the street from that new zone line."

The crisis occurred in central Orange County, which is a densely populated area made up of a cluster of cities, including Garden Grove. The city of 170,000 people, along with neighbouring Westminster, is home to Little Saigon, the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam.

It is also next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland's two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will monitor the air for several months, and the EPA will be checking sewer and storm drains for spills, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.

As the tank heated up, the chemical converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the pressure and explosion risk, said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied environmental contamination. Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the danger, he said.

"The tank was on track for a catastrophic explosion," Whelton said. "The formation of a crack seems to have allowed pressure to vent," but he added that the tank needs to get closer to 15.6 C to 21.1 C before conditions are considered significantly safer.

The California crisis is reminiscent of a 2014 chemical spill in Charleston, W.Va., caused when storage tanks failed. That spill prevented the capital city and surrounding areas from using their tap water for several days.

Businesses were temporarily shut down and hundreds of people headed to emergency rooms for issues from nausea to rashes. The disaster inspired a new state law requiring more inspections and registrations of above-ground storage tanks.