If We Make A Mess, We Have To Clean It Up

Growing up near the Santa Susana Pass next to the San Fernando Valley, it was never obvious my town was home to the fourth largest site to have a nuclear accident of iodine- 131. The Santa Susana Rocketdyne Reactor “failed to shut itself down” according to a news report from this clip.

It is baffling that I remember this was only vaguely mentioned in school, with no mention or warning about drinking from the outside faucets or anything of the sort. According to this study “Radioactive Contamination of Water At the Santa Susana Field Laboratory” conducted by Daniel Hirsch, are levels of a radioactive isotope called Tritium that cannot be dissolved in water.

If the water is safe, then why is there a new wave of outrage over this continual cover up of the unsafe drinking water levels amongst Simi Valley residents. In this article Melissa Bumstead argues how the wells that provide 20% of water for Golden State Water (GSW) are only miles away from the Santa Susana Reactor site, which is seen to have affected surrounding residents of the community.

Bumstead is not just a reporter advocating for rights of the community, she is also advocating for her daughter Grace Ellen who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Over 50 children have been diagnosed with leukemia in the surrounding areas, and she researched and uncovered the cancer cluster that our government could have prevented.

Bumstead stated that the rare leukemia her daughter was diagnosed with was the same cancer two neighbors of hers had, with 25 total cases in the nation annually.

I went to school with a few of the many children who were diagnosed with rare forms of cancer that can all be linked back the Santa Susana nuclear accident. I played AYSO soccer with Casey Riccardi, she is only one year older then my 22 year old self. It is sickening to know so many kids in my own community are suffering from this insidious disease that we could have all prevented. All these children who have been diagnosed with rare forms of cancer all live within 20 miles of Rocketdyne.

Riccardi has a youtube channel where she explains and shares her story, and a petition we should ALL SIGN to help clean up Rocketdyne.

Please sign this petition to help clean up this nuclear spill.

please check out this environmental reporter story on the cover up of Rocketdyne.