Is NASA Poisoning the LA River?

Beneath California’s gorgeous scenery is a troubling story of environmental degradation and possible health risks. The radioactive waste at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which is about thirty miles north of downtown Los Angeles, has long been a source of controversy.

The region’s water supplies may be contaminated with extremely hazardous chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” according to recent disclosures.

In addition to being a major health risk to the surrounding community, this contamination is also a problem for the environment, especially for farmers who depend on the aquifer for irrigation.

The Quiet Danger

In the past, NASA and Boeing’s rocket testing operations were centered at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, which is jointly controlled by the federal government and Boeing.

These operations most certainly made extensive use of PFAS chemicals, which are well-known for their environmental persistence. Many items contain PFAS to make them water-, stain-, and grease-resistant, however there are serious health risks associated with these chemicals.

Research has connected exposure to pernicious epithelium-forming chemicals (PFAS) to cancer, birth deformities, lowered immunity, hypercholesterolemia, kidney illness, and a host of other health issues, leading to the worrying moniker “forever chemicals.”

However, because of their severe toxicity, PCBs—which were used in industrial applications like the electric transformers at the Santa Susana site—are a class of chemicals that are prohibited. Despite being outlawed for more than 40 years, their legacy of contamination persists.

The Link with the Waterway

The issue is not limited to what happens inside the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. The headwaters of the Los Angeles River, a crucial watercourse in the area, are probably where the pollution from the site migrates. The seriousness of the situation was highlighted by alarming testing at the river’s mouth that found PCB levels to be an astounding 100 times higher than clean water regulations.

Furthermore, farmers in Ventura County receive their water from the aquifer beneath the Santa Susana site, which might contaminate the very crops that support the area’s agricultural industry. This contamination affects the health and way of life for a great number of people, endangering not just the environment but also the food supply chain.

An Unsettling Deficit of Activity

Environmental advocacy groups have been applying constant pressure and there is growing evidence of contamination, but state officials have not yet mandated a cleanup or adequate monitoring of these dangerous substances. The state’s pollution control authorities are being criticized by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a non-profit group, for their lack of action and apparent indifference to the environmental risks. PEER filed a lawsuit against the site’s cleaning.

NASA notified the California Department of Toxic Substances Control that there were items at the site that contained PFAS, but no inquiry was ever started. Monitoring for PCBs and PFAS was originally left out of the draft order by the Los Angeles Regional Water Board, which is in charge of granting pollutant discharge licenses. Public feedback led to the addition of PFAS monitoring to the order.

A Long Way To Go

Although keeping an eye on PFAS is a positive move, it doesn’t fully address the underlying issue. It’s like waving at bank robbers as they’re leaving the scene, not stopping the act. The absence of a thorough remediation strategy exposes the area to the ongoing risk of hazardous contamination.

Boeing and the governor Gavin Newsom administration reached a contentious cleanup agreement that PEER describes as inadequate. This contract, which is buried in secrecy, only needs about 10% of the site’s contamination to be removed. Concerns over the effectiveness of the cleanup activities are exacerbated by the fact that there is no testing for PCBs and PFAS.