INQUIRY SET ON FIELD-LAB REVELATIONS SUPERVISORS ORDER PROBE INTO OPEN-PIT BURNING OF NAPALM, DIOXIN.Byline: TROY ANDERSON Staff Writer Concerned about widespread contamination at Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Santa Susana can refer to several places:
In documents the Boeing Co. delivered last week to the Department of Toxic Substances Control, logs detailed how Rocketdyne detonated and destroyed hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic liquids and gases at the so-called Area 1 burn pit. The list includes 50 gallons of napalm burned in 1969, three gallons of dioxin dioxin Aromatic compound, any of a group of contaminants produced in making herbicides (e.g., Agent Orange), disinfectants, and other agents. Their basic chemical structure consists of two benzene rings connected by a pair of oxygen atoms; when substituents on the rings are burned in 1971, and the destruction of flammable waste in 1990 that resulted in a 10-foot-high fireball fireball, very bright meteor leaving a trail in the sky that can remain visible for several minutes; often a distinct sound, perhaps caused by very low frequency radio waves, is associated with it. . ``Although the property is known to be contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with perchlorate perchlorate: see chlorate. , recent reports disclosed that thousands of pounds of dangerous materials ... were burned in open pits on the property as late as 1990,'' Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San said. ``These reports present a new series of questions about soil and groundwater contamination, as well as potential impacts on surrounding properties.'' The supervisors ordered the directors of public works public works pl.n. Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public. Noun 1. and environmental health to investigate what measures are being taken to deal with the new information. The directors are to consult with federal and state agencies involved in monitoring the remediation efforts and report back in 30 days. Concerns about the potential health hazards to workers prompted state officials to postpone a planned cleanup of the pit. State officials have ordered Boeing to cap the pit with clay or grass to prevent runoff from carrying contaminated soil off the hilltop lab. That will give Boeing and state officials more time to investigate the contamination in the pit. Boeing Co. spokeswoman Blythe Jameson said the company will continue to cooperate with regulatory agencies that oversee the site cleanup. ``We had proposed an interim cleanup of the burn pit as part of our overall cleanup,'' Jameson said. ``The purpose of this interim cleanup is to remove the highest concentrations of key chemicals in soil at the facility. They are present as a result of decades of burning unused rocket- engine propellants. ``After completing this interim measure, the area would then be evaluated by the Department of Toxic Substances and Control. That's part of the ongoing cleanup program. This proposal is to do the interim measures.'' At the supervisors' meeting, Elizabeth Crawford, who runs the Web site Rocketdynewatch.org and is on the board of Physicians for Social Responsibility, said the burning of napalm and dioxins is just a ``drop in the bucket of what our community concerns are.'' Santa Susana, a 2,800-acre facility located in Ventura County, near the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. city limits, was the site of Department of Energy experiments with 10 nuclear reactors, one of which experienced a partial meltdown in the 1950s. The lab also was the site of rocket-engine tests under contracts with the Department of Defense and NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. . ``Documents produced as a result of this cleanup plan disclosed tons of hazardous and radioactive waste radioactive waste, material containing the unusable radioactive byproducts of the scientific, military, and industrial applications of nuclear energy. Since its radioactivity presents a serious health hazard (see radiation sickness), disposing of such material is a that Boeing burned in this pit,'' Crawford said. ``However, this pales when compared to the other events and actions that have occurred up at this site, such as the world's only uncontained nuclear meltdown Noun 1. nuclear meltdown - severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and radiation escaping meltdown overheating - excessive heating , which was up to 240 times more dangerous than the Three-Mile Island accident. ``Numerous other nuclear accidents, illegal burning of hazardous and nuclear waste that led to an explosion that killed two of their scientists and an FBI raid that led to the state's largest environmental fine in 1996, rocket fuel being found directly off-site in Dayton Creek Canyon in Los Angeles County, 11 million times the safety level, and a current grand jury investigation into water crimes on this site.'' Jameson said a federal grand jury is investigating ``surface water discharges'' from the site to determine whether contaminants are in water that flows off the hill. ``We are cooperating with the authorities,'' Jameson said. Paul Novak, Antonovich's planning deputy, said the supervisor brought the motion to ensure that the site is properly cleaned up and that public information about the site's history of contamination is given to the proper authorities. ``You have a lot of residents who have lived in that area for 20, 30 or 40 years who have information about what may have occurred there,'' Novak said. ``They are a resource and we want to be certain that the appropriate government agencies are aware of the information that they have.'' troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com (213) 974-8985 IF YOU GO The state Department of Toxic Substances Control will hold a public meeting on the Santa Susana Field Lab at 6:30 p.m. today at Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road. CAPTION(S): box Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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