With each passing Torrance refinery blast, fire, hydrofluoric acid leak, crane collapse, power outage or smoke-belching emergency flare, calls have grown for measures to make the plant safer.
Local activists have pleaded for a ban on highly toxic hydrofluoric acid used at refineries in Torrance and Wilmington — the only two in the state to use the acid. More than 8,000 people have signed a petition in support.