Woolsey's Lasting Effects: New Study Finds Radioactive Waste

Agoura Hills CA

15 October, 2021

8:11 PM

Description

AGOURA HILLS, CA — The Woolsey Fire helped leak radioactive material into neighborhoods around the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, a former Boeing testing site that partially burned down during the fire, NBC Los Angeles reported. The findings are part of a study that looked at samples of soil, dust and ash immediately following the destructive 2018 Woolsey Fire, which burned nearly 100,000 acres of land primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area. The study finds that radioactive particles from the Boeing lab found their way to neighborhoods in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. The Santa Susana Field Laboratory used to be a rocket engine and nuclear energy testing facility, which conducted nuclear research until 1988 and engine testing until 2006. The state's Department of Toxic Substances Control initially said the fire had not released any hazardous chemicals from the lab, even though it was known at the time that the ground and vegetation at the lab was "highly contaminated with toxic radioactive and chemical waste." According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, significant exposure to radiation can be a serious health threat when ingested through eating, drinking or breathing. Boeing has engaged in studies and cleanups at the laboratory and has deemed it safe for visitors and onsite workers. Read the full story from NBC Los Angeles.