GKN Aerospace Chemical Delay
Toxic Chemical Removal from GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove Postponed to June 5 Due to Truck Delay
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The removal of thousands of gallons of a toxic chemical from GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove, California, has been pushed back again. Officials say specialized sealed trucks needed for the job did not arrive on time, delaying the operation from June 4 to June 5, according to OC Register.
The delay extends a crisis that began May 21, when 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate — a volatile chemical used to make acrylic plastics — began overheating in a storage tank. The reaction triggered evacuations of roughly 50,000 residents across six Orange County cities over Memorial Day weekend, according to Daily News.
Sealed Trucks Never Arrived, Pushing Back the Cleanup
Orange County Health Care Agency spokeswoman Salma Elshakre confirmed the June 4 removal was "not looking likely" after trucks failed to show up. "They didn't receive all the resources needed in time to start the removal process," she said, according to SB Sun. Officials set June 5 as the new target but warned the timeline could shift again.
The agency said it will give the community advance notice before removal begins. Workers will pump the chemical into sealed trucks to prevent vapors from escaping. Officials noted that methyl methacrylate has a fruity or plastic-like smell, but said most people may not notice it, according to Press Enterprise.
A Valve Failure That Forced 50,000 People to Flee
The crisis started when a cooling system valve failed at GKN's facility at 12122 Western Ave. Without cooling, the methyl methacrylate — a flammable liquid monomer — began a self-heating chemical reaction. Orange County Fire Authority warned of a possible BLEVE, or boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. By May 22, evacuation orders covered a nine-square-mile area, according to Whittier Daily News.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on May 23. President Trump approved a federal emergency declaration on May 25. That same day, a crack in the tank relieved internal pressure, and fire officials said the explosion risk was "off the table." Most evacuation orders lifted May 26, according to Daily Breeze.
Criminal Probe Launched as Residents Demand Answers
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer opened a criminal investigation into GKN Aerospace and ordered the company to preserve all logs and internal communications. Garden Grove Mayor Stephanie Klopfenstein demanded GKN representatives appear at a public council meeting to explain what went wrong, according to OC Register.
GKN Senior Vice President Steve Carlin issued a public apology. "I want to say how sorry we are for the uncertainty and disruption," he said. The company donated $3 million to a United Way community fund, but council members noted the money goes into a shared relief fund — not directly to displaced residents, according to SB Sun.
Regulatory Gaps Left Community Exposed to Major Risk
Methyl methacrylate is not regulated under the U.S. EPA's Risk Management Program or California's Accidental Release Program. That means GKN operated under lower-tier safety requirements despite storing tens of thousands of gallons of the flammable chemical. At least 10 OSHA violations had been recorded at the facility since 2018, according to Daily News.
Three class-action lawsuits have already been filed against GKN, alleging negligence and seeking compensation for lost wages, property value damage, and health monitoring costs. Many of those hardest hit were low-income residents and immigrants from the surrounding Little Saigon community, who lost five days of income and incurred evacuation costs, according to Press Enterprise.
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