EPA Administrator Says Low-Volume Release Likely in Garden Grove Tank Incident

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Sunday morning that the most likely scenario for an overheating pressurized tank at a Garden Grove aerospace facility is a low-volume release that local authorities can monitor and contain.

Zeldin spoke on CNN's State of the Union. He said the tank is expected to fail but that an explosion affecting other tanks is not the probable outcome. He added that firefighters are working to keep the tank temperature below 85 degrees.

The tank holds an estimated 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate and its temperature had risen from 77 degrees on Friday to 90 degrees by Saturday evening. It continues to increase by about one degree Fahrenheit per hour. Interim Orange County Fire Chief TJ McGovern said firefighters located a possible crack during a late Saturday mission that could relieve pressure inside the tank.

McGovern described the discovery as a step in the right direction.

Local authorities established an evacuation zone around the GKN Aerospace facility affecting six cities and tens of thousands of residents. Four of five evacuation centers reached full capacity by Sunday afternoon. Methyl methacrylate exposure can irritate eyes, skin, and mucous membranes and may cause respiratory or neurological symptoms.

The EPA lists reduced lung function and cardiovascular complications as possible chronic effects. Zeldin said the current response is an emergency operation and that the scale of any environmental cleanup will depend on what occurs when the tank fails.