Upon examining the tank on January 24, 2006, Mr. Gustafson immediately pointed out that the cross where the internal tank regulator and the rupture disk should have been attached had been sealed with two brass plugs. Mr. Gustafson also pointed out that you could see on the external tank where the vaporizer piping that loops around the internal tank had been pressured by the swelling of the internal tank, forming visible rings on the external tank. All of these, according to Mr. Gustafson, were a direct indication that the pressure relief and rupture disk had probably failed at sometime in the past and the openings sealed. Without these two safeguards in place, it was only a matter of time until an explosion occurred.

OHS does not agree with his conclusion over the pipe plugs being the same size and type, and therefore possibly installed at the same time. Although we may never know the timing of the plug installations, OHS would note that one plug appeared to have corrosion, indicating that it may have been in place for a longer period of time...