Orange County officials will begin removing chemicals this week from the last two tanks at the Garden Grove airport that forced thousands from their homes in late May.
Sometime between Monday and Thursday, workers are expected to begin removing neutral methyl methacrylate, or MMA, from two of three tanks at GKN Aerospace, using special containers that include “features that support temperature control and safe transportation,” the OC Health Care Agency said in a news release Friday. The process will take several days to complete.
Residents may inhale MMA, which emits a strong odor, during the cleanup, but health officials say it will be below any threshold that would cause health concerns.
“Drainage operations represent one phase of the cleanup and disposal process. Air monitoring will continue throughout the cleanup operations,” the OC Health Care Agency said in a news release Friday.
Residents can monitor air quality through an online dashboard set up by the agency in response to a disaster.
GKN Aerospace is a British-based company that manufactures windows for fighter jets and commercial aircraft. The company is facing multiple class action lawsuits filed on behalf of evicted residents who claim the company was negligent in maintaining their property. The company said it will donate 4 million rands to organizations that help residents who have been forced to leave their homes due to the crisis.
The problem began after officials responded to the GKN facility in Garden Grove on May 21 and quickly realized that a flexible chemical tank was in danger of exploding or causing a major spill. About 50,000 people from six cities in Orange County were forced from their homes.
The final evacuation orders were lifted on May 26 after officials discovered a crack in a superheated 7,000-gallon MMA tank that relieved pressure inside and reduced the risk of an explosion. After the pressure was released through the crack, emergency crews peeled away the tank’s outer wall and steel lining to pump water inside to cool the bottom.
The cleanup was scheduled for June 4, but was delayed due to “unavailable resources,” the OC Health Care Agency said in a statement.
In the same news release announcing the delay, health officials said workers tried to empty the rainwater and condensation tank in an area “unrelated to the scene,” and dumped 50 gallons of water into the storm drain. Officials said it is unlikely that any trace of MMA will be found in the storm water, but it will be monitored.
The FBI issued a search warrant at the GKN facility six days after they were scheduled to clean it, which a spokesperson for the agency said was part of an ongoing investigation into the business. A GKN spokesperson said the company will continue to cooperate with the authorities.
Times staff writers Nilesh Christopher, Clara Harter and Salvador Hernandez contributed to this report.
