Hazardous materials cleanup at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove scheduled for Monday
Hazardous materials cleanup is finally scheduled to take place at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove next week, 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.
The Monday cleanup date comes after the previous round of cleanup with postponed in early June due to a lack of "needed resources" to transport the now-neutralized methyl methacrylate (MMA) at the center of the chemical crisis in May. At the time, Orange County Fire Authority officials said that the tank's cooling system had failed, which placed the tank at risk of a massive leak or "catastrophic explosion."
Orange County Health Care Agency officials advised the public that while cleanup is ongoing, they could smell temporary odors in the area, and that air monitoring would be underway throughout the process. They 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.
They said that the cleanup would take place from Monday through Wednesday as crews removed the MMA from two storage tanks on the GKN Aerospace campus in the 12000 block of Western Avenue. Cleanup will take place specifically during daylight hours, officials said.
"The operation will focus on two of the three tanks ... and is being carried out in carefully managed phases, over several days, with multiple layers of safety protocols and oversight measures in place," the release said. "Specialized containers will be used, incorporating features that support temperature control and secure transport."
Officials said that environmental protections are in place and that air monitoring via mobile and fixed equipment would take place around the facility and throughout the neighboring communities.
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.
In the month since the crisis, residents in the surrounding area have continued to voice their displeasure with GKN Aerospace and the risk placed outside of their homes after the tank cracked. While the ongoing calls for accountability from company officials continue to flood in from residents and city officials alike, GKN Aerospace has opened a community initiative to support evacuees and pledged $500,000 to people impacted by the crisis.
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.
