SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Panel to Oversee Rockwell Study
San Fernando Valley-area lawmakers Wednesday announced the formation of a 13-member advisory committee to oversee a health study of workers at Rockwell International’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory west of Chatsworth.
The panel, which will be responsible for choosing a contractor to conduct the study, includes five community representatives, four scientists and officials from the California Department of Health Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and U.S. Department of Energy.
The five community members--Daniel Hirsch of Los Angeles, Barbara Johnson of Santa Susana Knolls, Jerry Raskin of Northridge, Dr. Caesar Julian of Simi Valley and Sheldon Plotkin of Los Angeles--were jointly selected by Assembly members Terry B. Friedman (D-Los Angeles), Richard Katz (D-Sylmar) and Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley).
The study, for which the Energy Department has earmarked up to $500,000, is meant to determine if workers at the test site in the Simi Hills have experienced unusual patterns of illness.
Operated by Rockwell’s Rocketdyne division, the field lab does research for the Energy Department, and was heavily involved in the past in nuclear development work.
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