⏰💣Why Was A British Owned Chemical Plant Permitted In A California Residential Neighborhood, Especially With All CA's Environmental Rules?!!⏰💣
(jdrucker.substack.com)
Crime & Democrats �
Definitely some questions here that must be answered once the situation is under control. Hopefully then we will get more clarity. CA's system is too cumbersome in the paperwork area, and lax where it really counts. That is true.
Admittedly, my experience was 50 years ago, so times have doubtless changed.
But high-pressure gas cylinders just standing by the wall, unsecured? (Rocket torpedo effect.)
Employees working in an environment where vaporized toluene was not vented to exit? (The vapor was enough to knock you over.)
A cylinder of H2S just lying around in the lab, unsecured and not separated from the lab environment? (First sign of toxicity is the loss of smell.)
Cartridges of ethylene oxide in a desk drawer. (Powerful sterilant. Kills living cells. If punctured, would fill an office within seconds. It was in my desk as a new-hire. I was flabbergasted.)
I worked in private industry years ago. About when you did before I decided to change careers. Things have changed a lot. I remember issues around the handling of chemicals and gases that were at times careless and extremely dangerous. Toxic stuff just being poured into the sewer system instead of proper disposal. Oversight and storage were very lax. I remember one company that kept all their chemicals and gases in one big warehouse. I walked in there and when I saw it I was shocked. None of it was stored properly. A little bird called the fire marshal and they came out and inspected them. The company made the necessary changes with dedicated storage areas for the compounds. Unfortunately, it usually always takes a severe accident involving deaths and injury to prompt long overdue changes. Is it perfect? No. But it is certainly a far cry from what it was.
I remember back in the eighties. I was working at an electronics firm that was right next to a fertilizer company. There was an explosion and fire. Some people at the fertilizer company were killed. We could not go back to work for a couple of weeks and some people that lived nearby were evacuated. It took them a few days to get the fire completely out and make sure the place was safe. The situation there was much like this latest incident in Garden Grove. This event back in the eighties was located not far from the location of the latest crisis. In the same general area in Orange County. Industrial and business areas mingled closely together around residential areas. It's common to both Orange and LA county.
Goodness, I have not thought about that accident for years. If I remember correctly, it was found that there was gross mishandling of chemicals that led to the explosion and fire. Regs were tightened afterwards. But there was no forced shut down or relocation.
Fren, I was lucky to have averted some possible accidents, but you have gone through the worst. Sometimes it is ignorance. Sometimes it is indifference. And sometimes it is arrogant recklessness. It was the reason I left my laboratory job in California to return to my engineering job at Boeing. Peace and peacefulness!
Back at you fren. Have a blessed day and the rest of your week.