Mobil Refinery Blamed for Fumes That Sickened Toyota Workers

In an ill-timed public relations snafu for Mobil Oil Corp., a gasoline spill at its Torrance refinery has been blamed for fume problems at Toyota’s U.S. headquarters, the city’s second-largest private employer.

One building was evacuated at Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. and hundreds of other employees were advised to stay indoors briefly last week after some employees complained of fumes and discomfort.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a notice of violation Wednesday to Mobil after determining that the fumes at Toyota emanated from a gasoline spill at the nearby refinery tank farm.

Although Mobil officials say they are not convinced the fumes came from their facility, refinery manager Joel Maness said, “If we did cause that problem, I personally apologize.”

The AQMD action comes at a politically sensitive time for Mobil, which hopes to win the City Council’s blessing Tuesday to continue using a hotly debated chemical called hydrofluoric acid. Mobil says a new additive reduces the acid’s risk by 80%, but some critics question the refinery’s safety.

Mobil officials estimate 1,000 to 2,000 gallons of gasoline spilled Feb. 2 because of a mechanical problem. The gasoline was contained in a safety dike and covered with foam. Cleanup continued until Friday evening.

Earlier Friday during the cleanup, the Toyota employees had complained of fumes, headaches and burning eyes at the company’s 2,300-employee complex near 190th Street and Western Avenue, east of the refinery. About 50 people were evacuated and others were told by intercom to stay indoors for about half an hour, but no one required medical treatment, a spokeswoman said.

Toyota and a major local developer, Gascon Mar Ltd., have expressed concerns to the city about the incident, and Toyota and Mobil representatives met Tuesday.

“We think it’s critical that we have very early warning on any type of incident at Mobil,” said Bob Nixon, Toyota national real estate manager.

MMobil spokesman James Carbonetti said he did not know if the fumes came from the refinery because monitoring during cleanup did not turn up odors at the refinery’s fence line.

But Carbonetti said Mobil plans to improve communications with neighboring businesses, such as “a session where they can tell us what their concerns are, face-to-face.”