Torrance residents call for the ban of flesh-eating chemical used at refinery
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Residents and advocates gathered Saturday to demand the ban of a chemical that’s used at a Torrance oil refinery and that they say has the potential to cause a mass casualty disaster.Hydrofluoric acid is used in about 40 gasoline refineries across the United States, according to the National Resources Defense Council.
The defense council states that “exposing as little as 1% of a person’s skin to HF (about the size of one’s hand) can lead to death.When inhaled, HF can fatally damage lungs, disrupt heart rhythms, and cause other serious health effects.” The Torrance Refinery uses modified hydrofluoric acid, or MHF, which the refinery considers to be a safer alternative to HF, though the claim is disputed by advocates.
Steve Goldsmith, president of the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance, which hosted the Saturday event, said that if MHF were to be been released into the air, it would create irreversible health effects within 6.2 miles of the refinery, trickling into other parts of Los Angeles County.And in 2015, he said, this almost happened.
On Feb.18, 2015, there was an explosion at the refinery, then operated by ExxonMobil, caused by the rupture of an eroded valve.
The incident, which released flammable hydrocarbons, injured four workers and forced 14 schools into lockdown.The Saturday event, held at North High School’s Performing Arts Center in Torrance, marked the 11th anniversary of the explosion.
Goldsmith described the chemical as “murderous.”“Torrance Refinery had an enormous explosion, and a piece of equipment the size of a bus came within five feet of the hydrofluoric acid, causing a near miss,” Goldsmith said.“We’ve been working to get rid of it.”Residents like Christopher Truman say replacing MHF with an alternative option is the least that can be done.
His parents live near the refinery.“I’m born and raised in the South Bay, and my...