According to research, hydrofluoric acid is used in approximately 40 gasoline refineries in the United States the National Resources Defense Council. The defense counsel states that “exposing as little as 1% of a person’s skin to HF (about the size of a person’s hand) can lead to death. When inhaled, HF can fatally damage the lungs, disrupt the heart rhythm, and cause other serious health effects.”
The Torrance refinery uses modified hydrofluoric acid, or MHF, which the refinery uses is considered a safer alternative to HFalthough the claim is disputed by lawyers. Steve Goldsmith, chairman of the Torrance Refinery Action Alliance, who hosted Saturday’s event, said that if MHF were released into the air, it would cause irreversible health effects within 6 miles of the refinery, trickling down to other parts of Los Angeles County.
And in 2015, he said, this almost happened.
On February 18, 2015, an explosion occurred at the refinery, which was then operated by ExxonMobil, caused by the rupture of an eroded valve. The incident, which released flammable hydrocarbons, left four workers injured and forced out 14 schools in lockdown.
The Saturday event, held at the North High School Performing Arts Center in Torrance, marked the 11th anniversary of the explosion.
Goldsmith described the chemical as ‘homicidal’.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
“Torrance Refinery had a massive explosion and a piece of equipment the size of a bus came within five feet of the hydrofluoric acid, causing a near miss,” Goldsmith said. “We’ve been working to get rid of it.”
Residents like Christopher Truman say replacing MHF with an alternative option is the least that can be done. His parents live near the refinery.
“I was born and raised in the South Bay, and my family lives within the blast radius if another accident were to occur,” Truman said. “So I am very concerned about it in that respect.”
According to the Torrance Refinery, MHF is also used to clean semiconductor surfaces and produce pesticides and herbicides in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn said residents should not assume that “they will get lucky” if another refinery accident were to occur.
“Only two refineries in California use MHF, the Torrance refinery and the Valero refinery in Wilmington,” Hahn said. “MHF is simply too dangerous to use. It is a flesh-eating, low-level, toxic vapor cloud. Our communities will not be safe until this chemical is gone.”
Goldsmith said a Chevron Refinery in Salt Lake City found an ionic liquid alkylation process as an alternative to MHF. He added that the 2025 Explosion of the Chevron refinery in El Segundo “would have been different if they had used MHF.”
“They used a different chemical that did not endanger the community,” Goldsmith said. “And that’s the problem with refineries, they have explosions. But that’s why that’s not allowed [MHF] around things that could explode.”
US representative
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) appears in a video message explaining her legislation, which she says will have a positive impact on communities in the Los Angeles area.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who represents the city of Torrance, greeted attendees with a prerecorded message, in which she reintroduced her bill, the ‘Preventing Mass Casualties from Release of Hydrofluoric Acid at Refineries Act’, which targets factories that use MHF.
“I originally introduced this bill in December 2024,” Waters said in the video. “I faced significant opposition, especially from the United Steel Workers Union, [who were] concerned that if refineries switched to safer technologies, some refineries could close, leaving workers without jobs. They agreed with me that hydrofluoric acid is dangerous. But they still wouldn’t support my bill. So I decided to go ahead and reintroduce this bill, [without] support from the union.”
The bill would give refineries five years to find an alternative to the dangerous chemical. Violators may be subject to fines of up to $37,000 per violation.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is speaking out against the use of hydrofluoric acid.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Some residents emphasized the need for transparency from local officials.
Ian Patton, a Long Beach resident, said most parts of the investigation into the 2015 explosion were withheld.
“Why can’t they make this report public? [Torrance Refinery Action Alliance] been asking for it for years,” Patton said. “The next step was to look at lawsuits under the California Public Records Act. It’s not something we want to do, but the public deserves to know if these plants are safe.”
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