Local News in Brief : Second Study of Refinery Sought

Torrance city officials have requested a second consultant to study safety at the Mobil Oil refinery after learning that their first consultant will not answer their key question: What is the risk of the plant continuing to use hydrofluoric acid--an acutely toxic chemical--in the refining process?

City Council members and City Manager LeRoy Jackson said they did not know why the issue was not covered by a contract with the first consultant, Gage-Babcock & Associates. But the council instructed its staff to start looking for another consultant who can answer the safety question.

Mobil is paying for the current study, and the council indicated it will expect the company to pay for the new one as well.

The Fire Department has asked Mobil to conduct a risk assessment of the chemical, but that study will not be completed before March.

“That was the most important aspect of the whole study--hydrofluoric acid and the use of it,” Councilman George Nakano said. “We need to move forward on it.”

The use of hydrofluoric acid became an issue after an accumulation of the chemical caused a massive explosion that rocked the Mobil refinery Nov. 24, sparking a spectacular fire that burned for two days. The explosion and fire led to the release of an estimated 100 pounds of the acid in liquid form, but none escaped the refinery grounds.