LOW LEVELS OF DIOXIN FOUND IN LAB STREAMS.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Low levels of dioxin were found in streambeds flowing off the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site where tests identified high concentrations of the dangerous chemical compound, state toxics officials say.

At a public meeting to discuss cleanup operations at the Simi Hills facility, Gerard Abrams, project manager for the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, said Thursday night that the highest concentrations of dioxins were found in the old burn pits and wastewater ponds that drain into Bell and Dayton Canyon creeks.

Tests conducted by the state and Boeing Co., which took over the longtime rocket fuel and nuclear test site from Rocketdyne, found only very low levels of dioxins in the streambeds that flow off the site, meaning the highly toxic chemical might not be migrating far.

But residents and activists were more skeptical than relieved by the off-site tests.

``There were maybe 10 total tests off site, and they were very spread out. I was very concerned that they think they can draw conclusions based on those few samples,'' said Christina Walsh of West Hills, who heads the group CleanUpRocketdyne.org.

Field lab workers used to burn old fuel and debris at the site, which is the likely source of dioxins, a family of toxic chemicals believed to cause cancer.

Low exposure over a long time is linked to reproductive problems. Trash incineration, fuel combustion, forests fires and cigarettes all create dioxins at different levels.

Doctors recently said Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko suffered severe facial blemishes and organ damage from exposure to TCDD, one of the most harmful forms of dioxins. Yushchenko believes he was poisoned during dinner.

At the field lab, company and toxics officials have been testing some 6,000 soil samples to gauge the extent of dioxin contamination. Boeing found dioxins at up to 1,880 parts per trillion at an old burning facility on the site and levels up to 32 ppt in wastewater ponds, which can release water into drainage leaving the property.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency usually requires that soil be cleaned up when it exceeds 3.8 ppt. Boeing also sampled sediment in drainages south of the lab, where contaminated soil could be picked up by surface water flowing into Bell Creek and Dayton Canyon Creek. However, those dioxin levels all came back less than 1 ppt, which officials said suggested that the dioxin-contaminated soil isn't moving far from the source.

``Dioxins tend to adhere to soils and tend not to migrate very far,'' said Steve Lafflam, Boeing's division head for safety, health and environmental affairs. ``The levels we have are not off-site, they are contained and they don't move very fast.''

Lafflam said Boeing is also testing surface water that leaves the property to ensure that dioxin isn't leaving the site.

However, Los Angeles water officials said they can't be sure dioxin contaminants haven't escaped downstream in previous years.

In the past, Boeing was required to test only for TCDD, the most harmful form of dioxin. TCDD was found in trace amounts too small to quantify in some drainages but never in surface water coming off the south side of the property into Bell Creek and Dayton Canyon Creek.

However, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board asked Boeing last year to test for 17 types of dioxin and got several hits. The levels were still less than 1 ppt, but they were enough to trigger ongoing testing that began this fall.

Even though the dioxin levels are high in soil, water officials said that doesn't necessarily translate into dioxins in surface water, which is filtered to remove all the sediments.

``I'm not all that surprised,'' said Cassandra Owen of the water board. ``If we're going to see it, we're mostly likely going to see it in the surface soil and sediment.''

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

SEE HISTORIC FILM ONLINE

Historic film footage is now available documenting the cleanup of the 1959 partial nuclear meltdown at the Santa Susana Field Lab. Narrated and with graphics explaining the incident, the film was made by the Atomic Energy Commission to train employees on how to clean up a meltdown. Visit www.dailynews.com to view the film.

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