AQMD Study on Chemical Safety Rapped by City
Furious that their representatives on a region-wide hydrogen fluoride task force were not given a chance to contribute to a draft report, Torrance City Council members this week rejected the document, which suggests that the highly toxic chemical should not be banned.
A Torrance staff report sharply criticized a draft report from the Air Quality Management District for failing to consider earthquake damage, which could knock out crucial water spray safety systems; the dangers of transporting the chemical through urban areas; the considerable lag time involved in installing new safety equipment, and for relying too heavily on an as-yet untried evacuation system.
The highly toxic chemical is used at Mobil Corp.’s Torrance refinery to make high-octane gasoline.
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