Rocketdyne Uncovers 3 Radioactive Spots
A Rocketdyne study of radioactive contamination at part of the company’s Santa Susana facility near Simi Valley has found three previously unidentified spots of elevated radioactivity but concludes that most of the area surveyed is uncontaminated.
Members of an environmental watchdog group, however, are calling for an independent study to verify Rocketdyne’s results. Both the survey and the group’s request will be discussed at a meeting tonight at Simi Valley City Hall.
The Rocketdyne study, finished in August, found no evidence of widespread contamination at the site. Three areas of heightened radioactivity were found. One appeared to be a natural uranium deposit, according to the report. The other two, involving cesium-137 contamination, are being cleaned up, the report said.
Dan Hirsch, president of Committee to Bridge the Gap, said his group has demanded an independent survey of the area.
The site “is pretty dirty, and yet we’re letting the company that made it dirty tell the world it’s clean,” Hirsch said.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 in the Community Room.
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