contamination NEARBY

SSFL > OFFSITE > NEARBY

The “Morgenstern Study” found a 60% higher cancer incidence rate for residents living 2 miles from the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL), compared to residents living 5 miles away. Some people have mistakenly assumed that this means people living within 2 miles from the SSFL are the only people at risk of exposure. However, there is no “glass wall” keeping the contamination inside the 2-mile limit. Contamination can migrate off-site through rain runoff, wind, and wildfire events. Due to the long-lasting nature of SSFL contamination, much of it can spread to great distances without restriction.

Contamination has been found in multiple places off-site, but this does not mean these are the only locations that have been contaminated. These are the locations where limited studies have found contamination. That is why PASSFL is advocating for the complete cleanup, so that all of the contamination is removed from the source to prevent it from further migration into local communities, where it pollutes the water and environment and can irreparably cause harm to wildlife and human health.

bell canyon

SSFL Contaminants Detected in Bell Canyon

  • Sampling by Parents Against Santa Susana Field Lab found Aroclor-1260, a Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), in surface water runoff in Bell Canyon in 2023. PCBs are endocrine disruptors, known for causing birth defects, reproductive harm, and thyroid dysfunction.

  • The 2006 UCLA Study detected beryllium and lead in the water runoff in Bell Canyon.

Camp Alonim, Brandeis-Bardin

  • 1957: Brandeis' lawyer wrote to the owners of the Field Lab in October 1957 saying the Field Lab "caused and permitted great quantities of waste material to be carried down a stream running through Brandeis Camp" and that "this unlawful pollution of said stream endangers the camp water supply and the health of hundreds of children and adults who regularly use its facilities."

  • 1991: test wells at Brandeis found radioactive tritium and TCE. One sample was "more than three times the maximum contaminant level allowed by California EPA."

  • 1993: Helen Zukin, an attorney for Brandeis-Bardin, said of the test results: “We’re concerned. This is further confirmation that there has been some off-site migration. Clearly, Rocketdyne activities have impacted Brandeis-Bardin’s property.”

  • 1995: Brandeis-Bardin filed a federal lawsuit, alleging decades of nuclear and chemical research at Rocketdyne’s field lab had polluted the institute’s water and land.

The “Northern Buffer” was purchased by Boeing in 1997 from the adjoining Brandeis-Bardin Institute (Camp Alonim), after a lawsuit alleging decades of nuclear and chemical research at the SSFL had polluted the institute’s water and land. Boeing and Brandeis-Bardin reached a settlement, and Brandeis-Bardin sold the Northern Buffer to Boeing.

A History of Contamination at Camp

Cehn Report

Joel Cehn worked for Brandeis for years to monitor contamination on its land.

In the 1997 report report, Cehn writes that after reviewing studies of Brandeis, in his opinion, "Brandeis property is contaminated... with radiological and chemical contaminants. Contaminated groundwater is moving toward the center of the Brandeis property (from south to north)."

"Soil on the Brandeis property is contaminated with tritium, strontium-90, cesium-137, PCB, dioxins, toluene, and petroleum hydrocarbons."

Cehn also says, "Surface water, when present, also moves toward the center of Brandeis... some of this water is contaminated with tritium, strontium-90 and dioxins. Soil on the Brandeis property is contaminated... During rainwater runoff events, this soil is carried... to central and northern areas of the Brandeis property. Vegetation on the Brandeis property is contaminated."

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Potential exposure pathways to campers: Playing in creeks or streams, hiking in contaminated dirt or through SSFL rainwater runoff, exposure to contaminated dirt/dust through sports, walking, etc., burning local wood at campfires, eating any produce grown there. This is in addition to regular potential exposure pathways such as wind, SSFL rain runoff, or smoke and ash from SSFL wildfires.

  • 1997: Brandeis consultant Joel Cehn said, "soil on the Brandeis property is contaminated with tritium, strontium-90, cesium-137, PCB, dioxins, toluene, and petroleum hydrocarbons."

  • 1997: Brandeis-Bardin received a $3.2M settlement from Boeing. In return, Brandeis waived its right to ever sue Boeing again over contamination issues. Boeing agreed to buy nearly 180 acres of contaminated Brandeis land and created the “Southern Buffer Zone.”

  • 2003: California Department of Toxic Substances Control confirmed the presence of the chemical perchlorate in a groundwater well at Brandeis, at least five times the state standard for drinking water.

  • 2004: a Brandeis-commissioned test found perchlorate in milk from a cow on the property. Brandeis Bardin asserts the water and milk are not used for drinking.

  • 2006: Evidence of contamination in a Brandeis testing memo

  • 2006: Elevated perchlorate in vegetation from the Gan Area Garden

LA River

Boeing has been fined over $1M for polluting the Los Angeles River with contamination from the Santa Susana Field Lab, including exceedances for lead, mercury, arsenic, PCBs, PFAs, and radionuclides, among others.

Sage Ranch

Sage Ranch is immediately adjacent to one of California’s most toxic sites, the Santa Susana Field Lab.

PASSFL does not recommend that people hike or camp in Sage Ranch without extreme caution.

Dr. Robert Dodge, a physician and scientific advisor for PASSFL has written a letter recommending parents avoid Sage Ranch to protect their children from the risk of exposure.

Woodland Homes, Runkle Canyon

The Woodland Homes development is built in Runkle Ranch, Simi Valley. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that supported the approval of the project briefly addressed the potential for contamination to reach Runkle Canyon and concluded that it was not an issue.

58 of the 1,999 follow-up strontium measurements exceeded the 0.1 pCi/gram background figure cited in the EIR and virtually all exceeded the EPA’s Preliminary Remediation Goals.

Radioactive Contamination at Runkle Ranch from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory

West Hills

Dayton Creek / Sterling Homes / Orcutt Ranch

Parents Against SSFL advises against consuming any produce grown from the Orcutt Ranch orange groves or community gardens.

In 2006, Centex Homes found incredibly high levels of perchlorate in Dayton Creek. Perchlorate is a water-soluble component of rocket fuel. According to the CDC, high levels of perchlorates can affect the thyroid gland, which in turn can alter the function of many organs in the body. The fetus and young children can be especially susceptible. The preliminary results indicated the presence of perchlorate in the lower portion of Dayton Canyon Creek, with one sample registering at 62,000,000 parts per billion (ppb). In California, the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for perchlorate in drinking water is 6 ppb, and the Public Health Goal is 1 ppb for perchlorate.

Dayton Creek runs through the back of the Orcutt Ranch property. Extensive perchlorate contamination was discovered at the SSFL’s “Happy Valley” area where the headwaters of Dayton Creek originate. Dayton Creek is also a headwater of the Los Angeles River.