SIMI VALLEY : Contamination by Lab Spurs Forum

Representatives from several state and federal agencies, as well as Rockwell International officials, will discuss at a public meeting tonight the health risks posed by contamination from the company’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Simi Valley.

Extensive soil studies and tests of ground water over the past three years uncovered trace levels of radioactive material and chemical waste.

Opened in 1946, the lab tested rocket engines and conducted nuclear energy research for several decades at its Santa Susana site.

The company is now engaged in a $40-million cleanup of soil contamination in and around the test area.

Contamination was also discovered at two sites--at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute and at the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s Sage Ranch Park.

The radioactive elements discovered were determined to pose no threat to human health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

A work group consisting of state, federal and company officials will be at the public meeting to discuss in more detail the contamination and what risk it poses for people in the area.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Knolls elementary school, 6334 Katherine Road, Simi Valley.