As questions surrounding a fire at the Vistra lithium ion battery facility in Moss Landing continue to swirl, the County of Monterey held a press conference Saturday with a slate of elected officials and experts.
District 2 Supervisor Glenn Church, whose district includes Moss Landing, opened the presser, and wanted to draw attention to the good work of the North County Fire Protection District of Monterey County in their response. He then looked ahead.
“As we look at this today, I’m cautiously optimistic that the worst of this is over.”
He then emphasized that he wasn’t going to stand idly by.
“I have a lot of doubts about where we’re at with this technology,” he said. “I’m hoping this facility will not be turned back on until we have some answers as to how this happened.”
Assemblymember Dawn Addis, D-Morro Bay, spoke next, and expressed hopefulness the situation was coming to an end, and also that such an event won’t happen again.
NCFPD Fire Chief Joel Mendoza said he was optimistic about being able to open up the closed roads tonight. Evacuation orders were lifted on Friday, about 24 hours after being issued.
Olivia Trombadore from the Environmental Protection Agency said the agency has deployed nine different monitoring devices to test for hydrogen fluoride, the toxin emitted when lithium ion batteries burn; two inside the plant, four outside, and three others to the north, east and south. She said the results show nothing that would “pose a risk to the public.”
An initial air monitoring report completed by Vistra contractor CTEH was obtained by the Weekly via a California Public Records Act (and is included below). It shows detections of oxygen and particulate matter, but not of hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen chloride (HCl), carbon monoxide (CO) or hydrogen cyanide (HCN).
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Why do we even have local government if it is going to allow Vistra to commit this manner of criminal negligent or criminal actions.
Imagine the cancer clusters that are going to form in the surrounding neighborhoods.
When lithium batteries burn, they release toxic, flammable, and explosive gases. These gases include: Hydrogen fluoride (\(HF\)): A severe risk that can cause skin burns and lung damage. \(HF\) mixes with water to form hydrofluoric acid. Hydrogen: Can create a vapor cloud that could explode. Carbon monoxide: A dangerous chemical released from burning lithium batteries. Sulfur dioxide: A dangerous chemical released from burning lithium batteries. Methane: A dangerous chemical released from burning lithium batteries. Other gases released from burning lithium batteries include hydrogen chloride and compounds of hydrogen. Toxicology of the Lithium Ion Battery Fire | Mass.gov- The release of hydrogen fluoride from a Li-ion battery fire can therefore be a severe risk and an even greater risk in confined ...Mass.govFire not the only danger with lithium-ion batteries - TT ClubSep 7, 2023 — What toxic gases do lithium batteries give off? The toxicity of gases given off from any given lithium-ion battery diff...TT ClubLithium-ion-batteries - DFESWhen LiBs fail, they can undergo thermal runaway. This involves violent bursting of one or multiple battery cells, hissing and rel...Department of Fire and Emergency Services What are the risks of burning lithium batteries? Toxic fumes: Can cause dizziness or suffocation. Self-sustaining: Can burn even in low oxygen environments. Reactive with water: Mixing water with the battery can create flammable hydrogen gas. High temperature: Can melt surrounding materials. Risk of re-ignition: Residual heat can cause the battery to reignite days after the initial flames are extinguished. [Mass.gov= Massachusetts government]
Nor is it reassuring that the EPA said the air is safe to breathe.
The EPA deemed the air around ground zero safe to breathe shortly after 9/11 even though it was not. Four years later, the EPA reversed itself and said the air in lower Manhattan was not safe to breathe.
Today, more people have contracted respiratory ailments and died after having lived and worked near ground zero than died on 9/11.
When will we learn.
The fire at the Moss Landing battery facility is the fourth in five years.
Vistra was not prepared with fire extinguishing systems and decided to let the fire burn for several days, spewing toxins into the air.
The pile at ground zero where WTC 1, 2, and 7 burned until December in 2001.
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