What We Know About the Chemical Tank Incident in Southern California — And What Questions Still Linger The recent standoff between a potentially exploding chemical tank and emergency responders in Garden Grove, California, has left many wondering what could have been done to prevent this crisis.
The incident highlights the complexities and dangers of industrial scale chemical storage. Methyl methacrylate, the liquid inside the tank, is a common ingredient in plastics production but also highly volatile.
Its potential for disaster was underscored by the authorities' decision to cool the tank using sprinklers and hose lines.