I first learned of the Santa Susana Field Lab, in the hills above the San Fernando and Simi valleys northwest of Los Angeles, when my four-year-old daughter was diagnosed with an incredibly rare and aggressive form of leukemia in 2014. During her treatment we met other families whose children also had cancer, and who lived by our high school and near the park and across town. I chalked it up to coincidence.
But I became truly alarmed when I met a family who lived on our street. We organized and mapped out where all of our families lived, what types of cancer our children had, and diagnosis dates.
Working with a statistician, our data showed that our community was above the national average for several rare childhood cancers. We realized that our families were more than just unlucky: We all lived within 10 miles of one of America’s worst nuclear meltdowns, and one of California’s most toxic sites, the Santa Susana Field Lab (SSFL).
For decades, scientists at SSFL experimented with nuclear reactors, advanced rocket systems and futuristic weapons in a secret collaboration between the government and private corporations, including the site’s current owner, Boeing.
Not only was there a meltdown in 1959 – possibly even worse than the Three Mile Island accident – but according to former staff radioactive waste was burned and radiation released over a number of years. When the wind blows or the rains come and the water flows downhill from the site, radioactive and chemical contamination comes with it.
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), whose mission is to protect the public from hazardous materials, has oversight over the SSFL cleanup. But the DTSC looked away while the responsible parties intentionally misled the public about the dangers of the contamination.
When I realized the DTSC was not going to protect us, I helped start a grassroots group, Parents Against SSFL, to educate the community and advocate for the cleanup.
Although the Department of Energy, NASA and Boeing agreed to a comprehensive cleanup in 2007 and 2010, they have instead spent the last 14 years trying to evade their responsibilities despite studies showing how dangerous the site is to human health.
The polluters know about the EPA report showing radioactive material on the site: cesium-137, strontium-90, plutonium-239 and highly toxic chemicals such as TCE, perchlorate, dioxins, PCBs, heavy metals, and volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.
They polluters know that contamination has been found in air, soil and water samples offsite, some at levels thousands of times higher than EPA limits.
And the polluters know about the University of Michigan study that found a 60% higher cancer incidence rate for adults who lived within two miles of the SSFL. Another study showed that if people lived on the SSFL, and ate produce grown there, some areas are so contaminated nine out of ten people would get cancer.
Regardless, the polluters say we cannot prove the site caused our children’s cancers. They have put the burden of proof on us. My family lives three miles away. I say that the polluters should prove to me the SSFL did not cause my daughter’s cancer.
When an environment is contaminated, children are impacted the most. Children’s cancers aren’t caused by decades of smoking or drinking or sunbathing. Under 10% of pediatric cancers are even associated with genetic factors, never mind caused by them.
When a child gets cancer, it’s a red flag. And the polluters know that if we can show pediatric cancer causation, or even a strong correlation, then they will be held accountable.
That is why I am thankful for The ReasonsWhy.Us study which as data volume grows and the analysis kicks in will be an incredibly powerful tool in the hands of parents and community members working to secure cleanups near their homes.
I hope we will be able to show that we are not fanatical parents trying to find something to blame for our children’s cancer. No – we are fervent parents intent on remediating contamination to protect other children from the ravages of cancer.
And we know firsthand that if all our efforts protect just one child from pediatric cancer, it is worth it.
Meanwhile, California Governor Newsom’s administration has initiated secret negotiations with Boeing which would overturn years of promises and legally binding agreements to clean up the site and protect over 500,000 people who live nearby.
Boeing does not seem to care if SSFL contamination has given dozens of local kids cancer. Boeing brought in over $52 billion dollars in revenue last year but does not want to pay for the cleanup, even if our kids pay the price for their greed.
Please join us and hundreds of thousands of parents, residents, family, and friends on our change.org petition as we fight for the complete cleanup.