Orange County officials will start removing chemicals this week from two storage tanks at a Garden Grove aerospace company that prompted thousands to evacuate their homes in late May. <\/p>\n
Sometime between Monday and Thursday, workers are expected to start removing the neutralized methyl methacrylate, or MMA, from two of three tanks at GKN Aerospace, using specialized containers that incorporate \u201cfeatures that support temperature control and secure transport,\u201d the OC Health Care Agency said in a news release<\/a> Friday. The process will take several days to complete. <\/p>\n Residents might intermittently smell MMA, which emits a fruity odor, throughout the cleanup, but health officials said it will be only at concentrations below any threshold that would prompt health concerns. <\/p>\n \u201cThe drainage operation represents one phase of the cleanup and disposal process. Air monitoring will continue throughout cleanup operations,\u201d the OC Health Care Agency said in a news release Friday. <\/p>\n Residents can monitor air quality via an online dashboard<\/a> that the agency set up in response to the disaster.<\/p>\n GKN Aerospace is a Britain-based company that manufactures fighter-jet and commercial aircraft windows<\/a>. The firm faces multiple class-action lawsuits filed<\/a> on behalf of evacuated residents that allege the company was negligent in maintaining its facility. The company has said<\/a> it will donate $4 million to local relief organizations serving residents forced to evacuate their homes in response to the crisis. <\/p>\n The crisis started after officials responded to GKN\u2019s Garden Grove facility on May 21 and soon realized a volatile chemical tank was at risk of exploding or causing a major spill. About 50,000 people from six cities in Orange County were forced to evacuate their homes. <\/p>\n The final evacuation orders were lifted May 26 after officials found that a crack in an overheating tank with 7,000 gallons of MMA had relieved the pressure inside and diminished the risk that it would explode. After the pressure was released through the crack, emergency crews peeled back the tank\u2019s external wall and insulation to pump water inside to cool it down.<\/p>\n