US & Canada Science

California chemical tank crack

California chemical tank crack

Authorities in Orange County, California, report that a crack discovered in a failing aerospace chemical tank could be preventing a massive explosion by allowing pressure to escape.

The tank at GKN Aerospace, containing highly flammable methyl methacrylate, has been at risk of rupturing since Friday, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.

While the discovery is being treated as a 'critically positive' sign, thousands of residents remain displaced and local schools have been closed.

A class-action lawsuit has already been filed against the facility operator seeking accountability for the environmental crisis.

Garden Grove
City in Orange County, California, United States
GKN Aerospace Sweden
Company in Trollhättan, Sweden
Orange County
County in California, United States
Gavin Newsom
40th governor of California since 2019
Lee Zeldin
American politician (born 1980)