California chemical leak: What is methyl methacrylate, the chemical forcing 40,000 to evacuate?

Key Takeaways

• Image: AP What is methyl methacrylate?
• Why officials were so concerned How responders are trying to contain it What residents were told A major chemical emergency in Garden Grove, Orange County, has forced around 40,000 residents to leave their homes after a storage tank at the GKN Aerospace facility began overheating and releasing hazardous vapours.
• The chemical inside the tank is methyl methacrylate, or MMA, a volatile industrial liquid used in plastics and resin manufacturing.
• Officials warned that the unstable tank could potentially fail, leading to a major spill or even an explosion, prompting large-scale evacuation orders across several nearby cities.
• Emergency crews have been racing to cool the tank and reduce the risk while keeping people out of danger.The incident began on Thursday at the GKN Aerospace facility in Garden Grove, where a storage tank containing methyl methacrylate overheated and began venting vapours.