State Will Study Toxic Releases at Rockwell Site
Federal officials said Tuesday they will pay for a state health study of toxic releases from a controversial laboratory after disclosure Monday of preliminary data showing elevated rates of bladder cancer in some nearby Canoga Park and Chatsworth neighborhoods.
The health study plan came under strong attack from anti-nuclear activists at a meeting of a task force of federal, state and local government agencies overseeing environmental cleanup of Rockwell International’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory in the Simi Hills of eastern Ventura County.
The activists challenged the state Department of Health Service’s plan to use the federal grant to review the lab’s operating records for evidence of releases of chemicals or radioactivity that could affect community health.
Rockwell says there has never been a significant release of contaminants from the 2,668-acre test site during more than 35 years of operation.
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