Air tests planned at Santa Susana lab (Los Angeles Brush Fires)

Air-quality regulators planned to sample the air around the Santa Susana Field Lab late Thursday for contamination that may have been released when the Topanga Fire roared through the hilltop lab.

Thursday was supposed to be the day of the final rocket test at the field lab, ending testing operations at the hilltop site. Instead, it was at the center of a massive brush fire that stretched miles through the rugged area.

Several vacant buildings at the site were burned, and an office and machine shop were damaged by the flames. But hazardous waste and radioactive facilities were not affected, according to the Boeing Co., which owns the lab.

Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said no contamination was released as a result of the fire, and there was no risk to lab neighbors.

"We're confident that there has been no release of hazardous material that could pose a threat to the community and we don't believe there will be any."

However, South Coast Air Quality Management District officials said they would try to sample the air around the lab for chemicals if they can get close enough to the site.

"This is sort of a unique situation. We have a facility that has a lot of known toxic contamination in the soil and some of the contamination may have been released into the air," said Sam Atwood, AQMD spokesman.

The district will also try to find equipment to follow up with several days of testing for dioxins, furans, PCBs and hydrochloric acid - toxic contaminants that have been found in the lab soil.

Beck said the company plans to test the property after the fire is cleared, but immediate environmental concerns are unwarranted.

"There isn't the contamination there at levels that are going to dissipate through water or smoke that would cause harm to public health."

Lab watchdogs pressed for environmental regulators to visit the site Thursday to test for potential contamination that could have been burned with the topsoil and vegetation.

"We're talking about 40 years of using the most exotic chemical known to man. It's fallen on the flora. All we're saying is get some tests out there," said Jonathan Parfrey with Physicians for Social Responsibility.

His group called the air quality regulators for Ventura and Los Angeles counties to ask for air monitors downwind of the fire.

Others said they didn't expect the wildfire to release deep soil pollution at the site.

"I would be more concerned about the chemicals created by the fire, then the fire mobilizing chemicals at the site," said Yoram Cohen, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has studied contamination at the field lab. Wildfires and the burning of vegetation creates toxic air contamination.

Department of Toxic Substances Control spokeswoman Jeanne Garcia said her agency, which oversees the decade-long cleanup of the lab, will visit the site once the fire is cleared and safe for staff.

Boeing and its predecessors tested engines that powered the Delta 2 rocket and the space shuttle. The lab will still conduct government research.

Los Angeles Daily News

Asthmatics troubled by smoky skies

By Kerry Cavanaugh, Staff Writer
September 30, 2005

Smoke from the Topanga Fire blanketed the skies from Simi Valley to the Channel Islands on Thursday, choking residents in the path of the flames and irritating asthma sufferers in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere in the Los Angeles Basin.

Fine particles and soot from burning vegetation can be inhaled and swallowed, tickling the throat and nose and stinging the eyes.

The smoke is particularly rough on those with respiratory problems, making it more difficult to breathe, causing chest pain and triggering asthma attacks.

Even healthy people were warned to avoid strenuous outdoor exercise if they can smell smoke or see ash.

"I certainly wouldn't go for a jog," said Mallory Ham, air pollution meteorologist with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

"We just want people to pay attention to the air-quality forecasts and smoke advisories. With the air quality index this high, we want people to adjust outdoor activities. If you're an asthmatic, you should just stay indoors."

Schools in San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas kept the windows closed and the students inside because of the thick, smoky air.

"It's tough for everybody. It's like a rainy day, usually schools have planned activities," said Karen Maiorca, director of nursing for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"Any kind of exercise in the smoke is going to cause problems."

Burning brush and vegetation creates microscopic particles that are 30 times thinner than a human hair. The nose and upper airways usually filter out the larger particles, but the fine particles travel deep into the lungs and can enter the bloodstream.

Studies have linked high levels of fine particulate matter with increased rates of heart attacks and emergency room visits.

"People should use good common sense," said Keith Duval, compliance manager for Ventura County APCD. "If they're struggling with breathing or feel heaviness in the chest, or irritation of sinus and eyes, there's a good chance they are being affected by smoke."

Asthmatics troubled by smoky skies

Since this is Ventura County, I'll add the following slightly outdated info (my emphasis added, in case people don't already know)

http://fire.countyofventura.org/

Ventura County Fire Department
Breaking News - Fire
CAMARILLO, Ca.- (September 29, 2005) 6:38 p.m.
Chatsworth/Topanga - 118 Highway
Ventura County Sheriff Bob Brooks has signed a Proclamation of Disaster for Ventura County. This is resulting from the significant brush fire that has been burning in the Ventura County area since approximately 1:50 p.m. on 9/28/05. State OES has received approval for Federal Disaster Assistance.
Damage assessments at this time:
Approximately 17,000 acres.
Three single-family dwellings
A cell site.
One commercial building.
A detached garage.

Nearly 2,000 dwellings have been saved thanks to the efforts of more than 3,000 fire fighters from a unified command of Ventura County, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City, California Department of Forestry and the National Park Service. There are still over 2,100 buildings, commercial and residential, that is still being threatened. Costs to date are over $1 million. Fire fighters are building 25 miles of line to contain the fire.

Objectives at this time are to keep the fire north of the 101 Freeway, south of the 126 Freeway, east of Westlake Blvd./ Hwy 23 and west of Valley Circle / Topanga Cyn. Blvd.

Approximately 1,500 residents have been evacuated from Bell Canyon.

Voluntary and recommended evacuations are also taking place in Oak Park, Box Canyon Old Agoura, Cheseboro Road, Agoura Hills east and west of Kanan, Malibu Canyon (Calabasas), Santa Susana Knolls, Runker Ranch, North Ranch, Lang Ranch, Black Canyon, and areas east of Westlake Blvd.

Warnings have been issued for the areas of Kanan, Hidden Hills, and Las Virgenes Canyon Mountain Gate Estates.

Evacuation centers have been opened at:
Rancho Santa Susana Recreation Building at 5005 East Los Angeles Avenue, Simi Valley
Thousand Oaks Community Center located at 2525 North Moorpark Road (Next to Thousand Oaks High School).
Borchard Community Center at 190 Reina Rd., Newbury Park and
Canoga Park High School at 6850 Topanga, Canoga Park.

Schools in the Oak Park School District will be closed until Monday, October 3, 2005.
For any other information, call the Ventura County Fire Information Center at (805) 388-4276.
If you need assistance with your animals call Ventura County Animal Regulation Dept. at (805) 388-4341 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Click here for information on road conditions/closures.

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