SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : UCLA Epidemiologists Retained by Rockwell

Despite a threat by some panel members to resign in protest, an advisory committee has decided to retain its contract with epidemiologists from UCLA to conduct a $500,000 health study of workers at Rockwell International’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

A majority of the independent committee, made up of four community activists and seven medical experts, agreed to continue its contract with the UCLA team to perform the study on possible long-term health effects from radioactive materials at the laboratory northwest of Chatsworth. The study is being funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, which sponsored nuclear research at the facility.

But four members of the advisory panel opposed the selection of the UCLA team, saying that its principal investigators had insufficient experience in radiation-related illnesses. The team has since agreed to hire a consultant with radiation-illness expertise.