The Potential for Offsite Exposures Associated with Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura County, California

This study was funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) through a contract arrangement by Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG) with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The study focused on assessing the potential for community exposures to contaminants associated with the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL).

The study was conducted by a team of researchers under the direction of Professor Yoram Cohen.  The following tiered approach was followed:

Tier I: What are the contaminants of concern?
Tier II: What are the potential exposure pathways?
Tier III: Are the exposure levels and exposure areas of concern?

The study methodology that was adopted consisted for three main phases:

1. Identify and rank SSFL contaminants of potential concern (COPCs).
2. Assess chemicals of concern with respect to their potential environmental distribution, exposure pathways, and locations of exposure concern.
3. Develop exposure scenarios for ranking potential exposures and exposure locations of community concern.

Disclaimer:  The study on "The Potential for Offsite Exposures Associated with Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura County, California" is not a health study.  This study cannot make conclusive claims about whether activities at SSFL "caused" health problems for community members.  Please note that a separate Epidemiologic Study Report will be available at the end of September.  This study was carried out by Professor H. Morgenstern, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health.  For additional details regarding this report and its future availability check at: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/erg/current.html

What's  New

• The public comment period is now closed.  Reponses to public comments will be posted on this site once all the comments are carefully reviewed.     
• Replies to public comments will be considered, as deemed appropriate, in the final version of the report and posted in the F.A.Q of this web site.
• SSFL Forum is available for those who wish to exchange opinions and information regarding the SSFL Study and other SSFL issues.
• Additional information regarding the SSFL studies is available at http://www.ph.ucla.edu/erg/current.html

Key Milestones

•  The UCLA SSFL web site was online as of August 11, 2006.  The official posting of the Study Draft Final Report was September 1, 2006.
• A summary of the UCLA SSFL study and its conclusions and recommendations were presented at a Public Meeting in Simi Valley on February 2, 2006.
• The UCLA SSFL study plan and preliminary analysis were presented in a Public Meeting Presented August 19, 2003 at the Grand Vista Hotel Simi Valley, CA.