An explosion in a gasoline processing unit at ExxonMobil's oil refinery in Torrance, California on 18 February 2015 led to two workers suffering minor injuries and debris being dispersed into the surrounding community. On the face of it, then, this was a fairly low-impact incident. However, the US Chemical Safety Board (CSB), whose investigation into the explosion is ongoing, has raised alarms about the operation of the site, the lack of transparency shown by ExxonMobil during the investigation and, perhaps most worrying, the fact that debris from the blast almost hit a tank holding modified hydrofluoric acid. Had this tank been breached, there could have been a serious impact on the local community.
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