Benzene and Other Toxic Fumes Detected From Anaheim Salvage Blaze

Smoke emitted during a fire at an Anaheim auto salvage firm two weeks ago contained high levels of the suspected cancer-causing agent benzene and other chemicals that are toxic when inhaled, health authorities said Tuesday.

South Coast Air Quality Management District tests show that benzene levels were six times higher than levels permitted by federal health standards, officials said.

Carol Coy, a spokeswoman for the AQMD, said benzene was found at levels of 60 parts per million. Coy said that under federal work-related guidelines, the permissible exposure level for benzene over eight hours should average no more than 10 parts per million.

In addition, high levels of ethyl benzene, toluene and carbon monoxide were found, Coy said.

Robert Merryman, the county’s deputy director for environmental health, said medical authorities will examine the results to determine whether the smoke posed a risk to public health.

Wind-whipped smoke and fumes from the fire at the Orange County Steel Salvage Company at 3200 E. Frontera St., forced the evacuation of more than 200 people staying at the nearby Embassy Suites Hotel and the Carbon Creek Shores Apartments, a housing facility for the disabled.

The only apparent injury from the fire was to a firefighter treated for minor smoke inhalation.

But fire officials said the smoke became so thick at the hotel before guests were evacuated that smoke detectors were set off.

And other evacuees expressed concern about exposure to the toxic gases. Sharon Burton, 40, a resident of the Carbon Creek Shores Apartments, said smoke was so thick during the fire that many residents thought their own building was aflame.

Burton said residents evacuated apartments on their own after smoke detectors began ringing but returned when they found that the fire was nearly a block away. About 15 minutes after returning, they were evacuated again by fire officials.

“The wind was very strong that night, and some of the apartments were black with smoke,” Burton said.

The Jan. 24 blaze ignited in a pile of junked cars and quickly spread to a 50,000-ton mound of shredded auto and appliance residue, laced with toxic levels of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, another suspected carcinogen.

A huge pool of water runoff from fire hoses was found to be contaminated with PCBs and high levels of benzene. Nearly 200,000 gallons of contaminated water was discharged into sewer lines after county health officials determined that the water could pose a threat to drinking water if left standing.

Despite the threat of more fires in the highly combustible, toxic waste, state and county health officials have not been able to expedite removal of the mound.

Steel Salvage and its owner, George Adams Jr., have been cited many times for violating city and county health codes. The company is operating under a court order that requires it to treat newly generated waste and dispose of it properly.

In reaction to last month’s fire, city officials have recommended that additional guidelines be imposed on the company to prevent future fires.

Among the conditions recommended to the state attorney general are that Steel Salvage install a 6-foot-high chain-link fence around the waste pile and that equipment and materials be kept at least 50 feet away from the pile.