The Brief
- A faulty valve caused a 34,000-gallon storage tank of highly flammable methyl methacrylate to overheat at a GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove.
- The immediate threat of a catastrophic explosion has been defused after a crack in the tank relieved pressure.
- Former environmental health and safety manager Valerie Morales is calling the incident a wake-up call, urging California residents to utilize existing “right-to-know” laws to research hazardous materials stored in facilities near their homes.
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. – A former GKN Aerospace employee is speaking out in the wake of the Garden Grove chemical crisis, calling it a wake-up call for California residents who may have no idea what’s stored in facilities near their homes.
What they’re saying:
Valerie Morales spent 18 years in environmental health and safety, including time as a manager at GKN Aerospace’s Santa Ana facility. She says the crisis that displaced more than 50,000 Orange County residents raises serious questions that demand answers. “A lot of people want to know why this is happening, why it was so close to them, and why they didn’t know that was there, and that it was hazardous and toxic,” said Morales. …