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from Alejandra Reyes-VelardeCalMatters
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Fire officials near an aerospace facility in Garden Grove were staring at two potentially bad outcomes this Memorial Day weekend: Either an industrial tank could explode or it could release large amounts of a toxic chemical into the air.
For many, it was the first time they had heard of the chemical — methyl methacrylate — and its potential consequences: respiratory problems, nosebleeds, nausea and skin reactions that could lead to hospitalization.
Orange County Fire Department narrowly avoided an accident when the tank bursts just enough to relieve the pressure. Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency and multiple agencies are now investigating the incident. But the danger remains for some.
A CalMatters review of federal data from the Environmental Protection Agency found that 14 facilities stored methyl methacrylate in California in 2024. That year, four of them stored amounts that were similar to or greater than the amount that nearly caused a disaster near the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
Community advocates say the Garden Grove emergency illustrates how regulatory gaps and lax oversight allow dangerous chemicals to threaten the lives and property of thousands of people.
“This can happen anywhere,” said Ivana Castellanos, toxics program manager at Physicians for Social Responsibility in Los Angeles. “There are so many facilities that have toxic chemicals … and it’s very easy (something) to go wrong.”
No rules, no plans, no warning
At GKN Aerospace, methyl methacrylate is stored in a tank as a liquid. When exposed to heat, this liquid can trigger a chemical reaction called “thermal runaway,” in which the substance heats up until it becomes highly flammable and even explosive. Federal records from 2024 show the company stored anywhere from 100,000 to just under 1 million pounds of the toxic chemical.
Several of the other companies that also told federal regulators they store the chemical have facilities near where people live. Three facilities store much larger quantities of 1 to 10 million pounds each: Rohm & Haas Chemicals in Hayward, Engineered Polymer Solutions in Commerce and Plaskolite West in Compton. A fifth facility, the Arkema Coating Resins Plant in Torrance, stores similar quantities as GKN Aerospace.
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Methyl methacrylate is not regulated substance under the US Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Program or California's parallel system known as CalARP. In some places, process safety rules that protect workers may prompt agencies to test the chemical. Facilities may still be required to have fire or other emergency plans. But facilities holding chemicals that fall outside federal and state accident prevention programs may not be required to participate in emergency planning or community drills.
Plaskolite West in Compton stores up to 20,000 pounds of methyl methacrylate in tanks and under 2 million pounds in rail cars, said Roger Hamilton, the company's vice president of operations. While in storage, the chemical is treated with an inhibiting agent to prevent an escape reaction, he said.
Hamilton said the company reviews its internal emergency plans every year, and the incident in Orange County prompted another review. Plans include how to respond to spills, train operators and monitor chemicals.
The company has received five notices of violation from the South Coast Air Quality Management District since 2003. Regulators cited the company for failing to comply with permit conditions for certain equipment in 2021, and in 2022 South Coast accused the company of creating a public nuisance after the chemical was released into the air.
Hamilton said the latest incident occurred when a plastic bag carrying methyl methacrylate broke, releasing a strong odor into the air. He said he was unaware of the previous incident.
"Anytime you're dealing with any kind of substrates or materials of any hazardous substance, there's always a risk associated with that," he said. "We try to be very safety conscious when we handle these things, not only for our employees but for the communities around us, and we try to follow all state and federal laws."
Glynna Mayers, a representative for Rohm & Haas Chemicals, said the site currently stores less than 1 million pounds of the material and follows all applicable storage and handling requirements.
In Hayward, Myers said, the company stores the chemical in an above-ground tank surrounded by concrete, protected by a fire suppression system. Like Plaskolite West, it uses a chemical inhibitor to prevent the methyl methacrylate from reacting. The company also conducts regular drills with local emergency responders, she said.
"Our priority remains the safety and security of our employees, neighbors and the environment," Myers said.
Dave Schrader, a representative of the Arkema Coating Resins facility, said the company is reviewing what it can learn from the Garden Grove incident. He said the Torrance facility has a good record of safety and environmental compliance.
"Arkema and the Torrance facility are vigilant about safety and environmental compliance, which is reflected in the facility's strong performance in these areas," Schrader said. "The facility conducts regular emergency response drills with its own teams several times a year and with local emergency responders at least once a year to ensure the site is prepared in the unlikely event of an emergency," Schrader said.
Engineered Polymer Solutions, which stores between 1 million and 10 million pounds of methyl methacrylate, did not return calls and emails from CalMatters by deadline.
Advocates seek better regulation of toxic substances
The Garden Grove emergency caught environmentalists off guard in one way—few had heard of methyl methacrylate. But how the disaster unfolded was a familiar story.
GKN Aerospace agreed to pay more than $900,000 to settle a number of violations by the South Coast Air District in a settlement signed in 2024. The county continued to issue permits for the facility as part of its expansion plans.
"Systemically, government agencies ... continue to allow companies to operate with inadequate safeguards, in some cases without permits, in some cases even issuing new permits despite decades of violations," said Bradley Angel, Greenaction's director of environmental health and justice. "It's business as usual."
All five facilities are located in communities ranked in the top 50 percent of the most environmentally burdened communities in the state, according to CalEnviroScreen 5.0. The Compton and Commerce facilities ranked highest, both in the top 10%.
Cynthia Babich, executive director of the Del Amo Action Committee, said she had no idea of a methyl methacrylate processing facility operating so close to residents.
Without stricter regulations and public emergency plans to deal with a disaster, she doesn't think residents are safe.
"When things happen like what happened in Orange County, it just highlights all the fears that our community has -- that people are not prepared and we're not protected, and they have really dangerous chemicals in our community," Babich said.
This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.
