Crews in Orange County to begin removal of hazardous materials from GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove

Hazardous materials are scheduled to be removed from a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove beginning on Monday morning, a month after a compromised chemical tank at risk of exploding or leaking caused tens of thousands of Orange County residents to evacuate their homes.

Crews from the Orange County Health Care Agency, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and GKN Aerospace are expected to begin the process of removing now-neutralized methyl methacrylate (MMA) from two storage tanks.

A previously scheduled cleanup date was postponed in early June but was postponed due to a lack of "needed resources."

Orange County Health Care Agency officials are warning people in the area that as crews work to remove the MMA, there could be a temporary odor. They are advised that the chemical compound smells fruity with a "very low odor threshold," meaning that people could notice the smell even if concentrations are at very low levels.

Safety measures like air monitoring will be conducted throughout the process to ensure there is no danger to the public. Residents can follow along with the process via an interactive data dashboard online that also tracks air monitoring data, officials said. Any updates surrounding the cleanup will also be posted on the OC Health Care Agency website.

The cleanup is scheduled to take place during daylight hours from Monday through Thursday at the GKN Aerospace campus in the 12000 block of Western Avenue.

Around 50,000 people were evacuated late last month when one of the tanks malfunctioned, leading to the possibility of a "catastrophic explosion" or spill, officials said. Emergency crews spent several days cooling down the tank and eventually discovering that a leak relieved some of the pressure and eliminated the threat of an explosion.

GKN Aerospace apologized to the community and has pledged hundreds of thousands of dollars to a relief fund for those who were affected by the chemical crisis. But many residents want accountability and still have questions about whether the company should be able to use toxic chemicals like MMA so close to homes and businesses.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer's probe into the facility remains ongoing as he seeks potential whistleblowers to come forward with evidence of malpractice. Earlier in June, the FBI served a search warrant at GKN Aerospace as they looked to seize documents, records and devices related to MMA and other hazardous substances at the facility.