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EVERYONE'S SAFETY. THE HAZMAT SITUATION IN GARDEN GROVE IS NOW GAINING NATIONAL ATTENTION, RAISING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHEMICAL INVOLVED AND THE POTENTIAL DANGERS IT COULD POSE TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS, BOTH IMMEDIATE AND LONG TERM.
WELL, JOINING US NOW TO HELP BREAK DOWN THE POSSIBLE HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS IS LANE BURNELL. SHE'S A CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY LECTURER AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
YES. SO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS CHEMICAL AND WHY ARE OFFICIALS TREATING THIS SITUATION SO SERIOUSLY?
METHYL METHACRYLATE IS A VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND, AND IT'S TYPICALLY USED FOR ACRYLICS. UM, THAT COULD BE WITH PLASTICS. ALSO AEROSPACE, MILITARY CRAFT, UM, APPLICATIONS. AND THE REASON WHY AUTHORITIES ARE TREATING THIS SO SERIOUSLY IS THAT BECAUSE MMA, SOME METHYL METHACRYLATE IS FLAMMABLE AND ALSO IS A VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND, AGAIN, VOC, WHICH MEANS THAT, VAPORS CAN BE CREATED AND ALSO IS REACTIVE AND FLAMMABLE.
SO WE'VE HEARD CONCERNS ABOUT BOTH TOXIC FUMES AND POSSIBLE EXPLOSIONS. WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION SO DANGEROUS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA?
I THINK WHAT MAKES THIS SITUATION PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FOR PEOPLE IN THE AREA, AND AGAIN, THIS IS WHY RESPONDERS, UH, ISSUED MANDATORY EVACUATIONS IS BECAUSE IN THE EVENT OF THE LEVEE OR THE EXPLOSION, THE VAPORS CAN POSE HEALTH RISKS SUCH AS RESPIRATORY EYE AND SKIN IRRITATION. HOWEVER, WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS THAT IT'S BEEN A FEW DAYS OUT AND THE RESPONDERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THE TANK AS STABLE AS IT POSSIBLY COULD.
YEAH. SO THERE HAS BEEN MENTION OF SOMETHING CALLED A THERMAL RUNAWAY REACTION. IN SIMPLE TERMS, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND WHY IS THAT SUCH A CONCERN?
BASICALLY A CHAIN REACTION. SO THE WAY MMA REACTS IS THAT IT'S TYPICALLY STORED AS A LIQUID BEFORE ITS END USE. SO BEFORE IT'S USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE. AND THEN IF SOMETHING GETS INTRODUCED LIKE LIGHT OR HEAT, UH, THE MMA BECOMES POLYMERIZED, WHICH MEANS IT SOLIDIFIES. AND AS THAT REACTION HAPPENS, IT IS ACTUALLY A HOT REACTION. IT'S CALLED AN EXOTHERMIC REACTION. AND THEN THAT'S WHY, UH, THAT RESPONDERS SO OCFA, THEY'RE MONITORING EVERYTHING FROM TEMPERATURE TO PRESSURE TO THE PHYSICAL INTEGRITY OF THE TANK.
AND DESPITE THE TEMPERATURES IN THAT TANK, WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE MEASURING OFF THE CHARTS. BUT OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF A CRACK COULD BE A POSITIVE THING. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
WHAT'S HAPPENING, WHAT'S PROBABLY HAPPENING WITH TANK RIGHT NOW IS IT'S UNDER THERMAL STRESS. SO WITH THE COOLING OF THE TANK AND ALSO THE HOT REACTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE TANK, THERE COULD BE SOME UNEVEN TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION WHICH CAN CAUSE THE TANK. SOME OF THE PARTS OF THE TANK TO CRACK, WHICH IS WHY THE, UM, THE CRACKS WERE REPORTED. UM, AGAIN, THAT IS A PROMISING, UM, UH, UPDATE FROM, OCFA AS FAR AS POSSIBLY RELIEVING THE PRESSURE. ALSO AS THE MMA SOLIDIFIES, THAT CAN ALSO RESULT IN DECREASING THE VOLUME THAT THE MATERIAL TAKES UP IN THE TANK.
I GUESS WHAT THEN IS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO HERE? UM, IF WE DON'T SEE AN EXPLOSION, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY THAT THIS COULD END? HOW COULD THIS END?
THE BEST CASE SCENARIO IS WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. SO SO FAR, RESPONDERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT EXPLOSIONS, LEAKS. UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE 24 AIR MONITOR SENSORS IN THE AREA, AND THEY HAVEN'T DETECTED LEVELS OF MMA IN THE AIR.
AND ONE LAST QUESTION FOR YOU. IS THERE LIKE A TIME FRAME THAT AFTER WE HIT A CERTAIN POINT, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT AN EXPLOSION HAPPENING?
AT THIS POINT? ALL WE CAN DO IS SAY FOR UPDATES LIKE THIS ONE AND ALSO FROM THE RESPONDERS.
AND IF THERE WERE TO BE AN EXPLOSION, HOW FAR COULD THE IMPACTS REACH?
UM, AS FAR AS THE EXPLOSION? SO, UM, SO THE ISSUE, UH, THE MAP THAT OCFA ISSUED, UM, AS PART OF THEIR, AS PART OF THEIR UPDATES. UM, SO THAT IS THE MOST RELIABLE INFORMATION THAT WE CAN GO ON.
GOT IT. OKAY. WELL, ELAINE, VERY