Keep Tabs on Chemicals

Two recent accidents involving high-tech manufacturing plants highlight the need for stronger local laws governing the reporting and handling of toxic chemicals used by industry.

On March 11, a jet from Miramar Naval Air Station crashed into the parking lot of a Sorrento Valley firm where two toxic chemicals were stored and less than a block from where a defense contractor conducts experiments with nerve gas. Remarkably, the building was not badly damaged and no one was seriously hurt.

Then on March 15, a drum of toxic chemicals exploded at the Fluid Systems plant in Scripps Ranch, launching a poisonous plume of smoke. One employee died of burns suffered in the blast, and two dozen firefighters, police officers and company employees suffered respiratory problems after breathing the toxic gas.

Since 1982, a law adopted by the county and 10 of the county’s 16 cities has required firms to report all the chemicals they use that can cause cancer as well as all chemicals used in amounts greater than 55 gallons or 500 pounds. The San Diego Fire Department has a proposal before the City Council to survey companies to obtain a complete list of hazardous chemicals, without regard to amount, and at the same time to advise the firms on the proper storage and handling of the chemicals.

The council should approve the Fire Department request and then, in cooperation with the county, provide for the rapid exchange of this valuable information among fire departments, health officials and the poison center. It also should consider what kinds of industrial activity should be allowed in the crash zones around Miramar.