A catastrophic chemical leak in California has forced the evacuation of 40,000 people, sparking an urgent review of cross-border hazardous material procedures by the UK’s Environment Agency. Sources confirm the incident occurred at a industrial facility in the city of Richmond, where a ruptured storage tank released a cloud of toxic hydrogen fluoride gas. The evacuation zone spans a radius of three miles, with hospitals reporting dozens of cases of respiratory distress.
The UK Environment Agency has launched a parallel investigation into the safety protocols governing the transatlantic transport of hazardous chemicals. Documents obtained by this journalist reveal that a similar leak in Texas last year was dismissed as a ‘localised event’ by regulators. Now, with the California disaster unfolding, Whitehall officials are under pressure to tighten import checks on American industrial goods.
The leak raises uncomfortable questions about the accountability of multinational conglomerates. The plant is owned by a subsidiary of ChemCorp, a company with a history of safety violations. In 2019, the firm paid a £2.3m fine for failing to properly maintain storage tanks at its Louisiana facility. California’s environmental agency had flagged concerns about the Richmond plant just months ago, but no action was taken.
I have spoken to a former ChemCorp safety officer who described a culture of cost-cutting that prioritised profits over people. ‘They knew the tank was corroded,’ he said. ‘But fixing it would have meant shutting down production for a week. They rolled the dice and lost.’ The company declined to comment, referring instead to a press release that calls the leak a ‘tragic anomaly’.
The UK review will examine whether British ports and storage facilities are prepared for similar incidents. The Health and Safety Executive has been given 30 days to report on the adequacy of existing checks. This is not a moment too soon. Last month, a tanker carrying liquid chlorine docked in Liverpool with a cracked valve. It was only detected by a routine inspection, not by the automated systems supposed to flag such faults.
The human cost is already mounting. Evacuees are being housed in makeshift shelters, many without access to their medication or personal belongings. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against ChemCorp on behalf of residents, seeking damages for health impacts and loss of property.
The UK’s relationship with American chemical imports is a multibillion-pound business. But this disaster should force a reckoning. The question is not whether the next leak will happen, but where. And whether the systems meant to stop it are worth the paper they are printed on.
