Cali loses track of hazmat

The Golden State has lost track of 174,000 tons of hazardous waste intended for disposal over the last five years.

The missing loads of hazardous material—including more than 20,000 pounds of lead; 520 tons of benzene, a carcinogen; and 355 tons of the flammable solvent methyl ethyl ketone (dubbed “methyl ethyl death” by industry insiders)—were shipped, but the state’s database shows no record of them arriving at their intended destinations, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“We don’t know. It’s a question mark,” said Debbie Raphael, director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, referring to the fate of the more than 23,000 hazmat loads, adding that the lack of information “is concerning, absolutely.”