Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 10
Orange County Neighbors Demand Answers on GKN Chemical Risk as $3 Million Aid Fails to Calm Fears
Updated
Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 10

Orange County Neighbors Demand Answers on GKN Chemical Risk as $3 Million Aid Fails to Calm Fears

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Jun 10

Summary

  • Garden Grove residents living as close as 100 yards from GKN Aerospace say they still do not know whether the Memorial Day tank crisis could happen again.
  • Methyl methacrylate remains at the facility after plans to remove the toxic chemical last week were postponed, with no new date announced by Tuesday.
  • GKN has offered $3 million to Orange County United Way for affected residents, but neighbors and city officials say the company still has not explained what caused the tank failure or what will change.
  • Dozens of lawsuits have followed the incident, and the Garden Grove City Council urged GKN to address the community directly at Tuesday's meeting.
  • The standoff has widened concern about homes near industrial sites in Orange County, echoing earlier pollution disputes that helped force Irvine's $285 million purchase of the All American Asphalt property.

Insights

A toxic tank nearly exploded in a suburb. With safety rules being rolled back, how many other neighborhoods are unknowingly at risk?
FBI probes a defense giant after a toxic threat. Is its $5 million donation enough to ensure this won't happen again?
Air monitors read normal, but residents smelled poison. After a near-disaster, can official safety assurances ever be trusted again?