ROCKETDYNE LAB'S NEIGHBORS AFRAID OF CONTAMINATION.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

Nearly 100 residents gathered Wednesday at the Santa Susana Community Center to tell local officials they want tests done immediately to determine if their neighborhoods have been contaminated by decades of nuclear research at Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

``Do we have to leave right now? Are we in danger? If we need federal officials to get something done, then I think our local officials need to advocate for us,'' said Willie Lapin, a resident of the Santa Susana Knolls area adjacent to the Rocketdyne field lab.

Lapin and others told a panel of local officials and representatives of state and federal officials that air and groundwater tests should be done soon to allay residents' fears of contamination.

Helen Zukin, an attorney representing residents who believe their cancers were caused by radiation and chemical runoff from Rocketdyne experiments, said something must be done to address the ``perception that there are increased incidents of cancer'' in the area.

``From the beginning, Rocketdyne said: `Let's start with the workers. They're the canary in the mines. If there's a problem there, we'll focus on you,' '' Zukin said. ``Well, the time has come to focus on the health of community members. They're frightened. They want answers.''

Wednesday night's forum was organized by the Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition following the release last month of a long-awaited study by researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health. The study found an elevated cancer risk among nearly 4,600 current and former workers at Rocketdyne plants in Canoga Park and at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

The cancer risk to workers who were exposed between 1950 and 1994 to low doses of radiation was at least six to eight times higher than previous studies indicated. Of the 875 deaths recorded, 258 were from various types of cancer, according to the report.

The study also recommended a health study of residents in Simi Valley, Chatsworth and Bell Canyon.

At the meeting, residents like Sybil Scotford of Box Canyon urged officials not to wait any longer to initiate a study of the community.

``(We) don't know what (we've) been exposed to,'' Scotford said.

Sam Rosen of Newbury Park said he has seen and heard of too many incidents of cancer in his neighborhood and in surrounding communities.

``The deaths are here,'' Rosen said. ``There must be an explanation. We must get to the bottom of this.''

County Supervisor Judy Mikels, who chaired the forum, told residents that Ventura County has very little regulatory authority in matters of public health. But she said she has asked the county's Environmental Health Department to make a list of contacts who can provide updated information. For more details, call her office at [phone].

But Barbara Johnson, a member of the cleanup coalition, said the lack of information isn't the only problem. She told officials there is poor coordination among the oversight agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Energy.

Peggy O'Connor of Woodland Hills, whose daughter has cancer, said that while local and state officials must do their job, residents can also help. She said eight out of 10 families in her neighborhood have incidents of cancer.