Rocketdyne Site Findings to Be Aired
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory Inter-Agency Work Group will hold a public meeting Thursday in Simi Valley to discuss the latest findings of radioactive material and other toxic substances at Boeing’s Rocketdyne testing site in the Simi Hills.
The main topic of discussion will center on trichloroethylene, or TCE, a chemical once used to clean rocket components and test stands at the laboratory.
Although water at the site is not used for drinking, groundwater in areas beneath the lab are known to be contaminated with TCE.
Under federal law, permissible levels for TCE in drinking water are 5 parts per billion. The amount of TCE spilled at Rocketdyne is enough to contaminate water far above the safe drinking water level, said Dan Hirsch, a scientist and member of the Inter-Agency Work Group.
Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will present new findings about TCE toxicity and pathways at the meeting. Other presentations will be made by Physicians for Social Responsibility and Committee to Bridge the Gap, an anti-nuclear organization.
The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Main Stage Theater of the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave.
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