A deadly tank rupture in Longview, Washington, and a mass evacuation in Garden Grove, California, have raised a pressing question: how many American families live, work, or attend school near hazardous chemicals, often unaware of the risks?
The answer is not simple. But the latest numbers are hard to ignore.
A Wall Street Journal analysis found serious U.S. chemical accidents rose to 131 in 2025, a 20% increase from the previous year, resulting in 48 deaths and 142 serious injuries.
The numbers are national. The fear is local.
In Longview, Washington, 11 workers died in a pulp mill tank rupture. In Garden Grove, California, tens of thousands were evacuated after an overheated chemical tank posed a risk of explosion or toxic release.
These incidents show that chemical safety is no longer just an industrial issue; it’s a community and school-zone concern, affecting families who may not realize the risks until an emergency happens.
A Washington Mill Disaster Left 11 Workers Dead
The Longview disaster occurred on May 26 at Nippon Dynawave Packaging, a pulp and paper mill near Portland, Oregon.
A 900,000-gallon tank of “white liquor” (a c “ustic chemical used in papermaking) failed catastrophically while about two-thirds full.
The 11 workers died from chemical burns, making it one of the deadliest recent U.S. industrial accidents.
The chemical, a mix of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate, is used to break down wood in papermaking. Its dangers proved deadly for the workers.
The rupture also caused contamination in the nearby Columbia River, though authorities reported no impact on air or water quality.
The cause is still under investigation. A tank failed, workers died, and investigators must determine if it could have been prevented.
California’s scenery was different, but still terrifying.
Just days before the Longview tragedy, another chemical tank emergency sent shockwaves through Southern California.
In Garden Grove, a GKN Aerospace tank overheated and began venting methyl methacrylate, a flammable liquid used in plastics and aerospace manufacturing.
The tank held 6,000 to 7,000 gallons. Fire officials warned it could crack, release chemicals, or explode.
That was enough to trigger sweeping evacuation orders.
Evacuation orders affected 40,000 to 50,000 residents.
Regardless of the number, the evacuation brought the chemical emergency into residents’ and d lives.
No mass casualties occurred; the threat was contained, and GKN Aerospace prepared to restart some operations after safety checks.
Federal authorities served a search warrant and gathered evidence as part of the investigation.
The Numbers Point to a Wider National Problem
The West Coast cases were dramatic, but they were not isolated.
Since 2020, over 600 serious chemical incidents have occurred in 46 states. The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters reports over 1,400 hazardous incidents since January 2021, about five per week.
Reporting systems use different definitions and thresholds, but all show that chemical incidents are frequent and widespread.
Still, they point in the same unsettling direction: chemical incidents are not rare enough to ignore.
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board requires facilities to report serious accidental releases involving death, injury, or major damage, not minor spills.
These numbers represent real people: workers, families, first responders affected by evacuations, injuries, and long-term impacts.
Millions May Live Inside Chemical Risk Zones
The most alarming number tied to this issue is not 131, 600, or 1,400.
It is 177 million.
Over 177 million Americans live in worst-case-scenario zones near chemical facilities, according to EPA data cited by public health groups.
This does not mean 177 million are in danger now, but many live close enough to be affected by a chemical release.
That is the part that makes the story personal.
Many people don’t know what chemicals are stored nearby, when to evacuate, or how they’d be affected in an emergency.
In Garden Grove, families faced these questions during an emergency. In Longview, workers paid the ultimate price before the public understood the risk.
Rules, Rollbacks, and the Fight Over Prevention
Chemical safety also sits in the middle of a national policy fight.
The EPA updated its Risk Management Program in 2024, adding safeguards such as safer technology reviews and third-party audits, and covering 11,740 facilities.
The program is designed to prevent or reduce the impact of accidental chemical releases at facilities that handle highly hazardous substances.
But these protections are now contested. In 2025, the EPA paused Biden-era safety regulations while drafting new rules; in 2026, environmental groups said the Trump administration aimed to weaken them.
Industry groups say some rules are costly and ineffective, while advocates insist stronger prevention is needed because communities can’t wait for disaster.
That debate will continue. But the recent emergencies give it urgency. Longview is not an abstract policy argument. Garden Grove is not a theoretical map. These are real communities where chemical risk became visible in the most unsettling way.
What Residents Can Take From This
No one should panic simply because they live near an industrial site. Many facilities operate for years without a catastrophic incident, and regulators, workers, and emergency officials often manage risks every day without public attention.
But families can ask practical questions.
Residents should know which facilities are nearby, whether emergency plans exist, whether evacuation routes are clear, how they’d be alerted, and whether local officials are transparent about risks.
Those questions are not anti-business. They are basic public safety.
Chemical facilities are essential to modern life. The question is whether workers and communities are protected when something goes wrong.
Longview showed the human cost of a disaster; Garden Grove showed how quickly fear can spread across a community.
Recent data suggests chemical accidents deserve more attention,not because every community is in danger, but because warnings often come as emergencies, not debates.
Emergencies may come as plumes, evacuation orders, blocked roads, or phone alerts to leave home immediately.
