Comment by lazide

It wasn’t just from that [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Susana_Field_Laboratory] had 4 of their 10 experimental nuclear reactors melt down (including a big one in ‘59), and was notorious for not disposing of nuclear and chemical waste correctly. Including burn pits.

They had fires in their plutonium ‘hot lab’ at least once we know about.

They regularly burned radioactive waste in open pits.

It’s right next door to Hollywood and many common film shooting locations. John Wayne regularly worked in Simi valley which is right next door.

Also, smoking like a chimney. Also, the whole nuclear bomb test/downwinder stuff too of course.

It’s not just direct exposure either - thyroid issues are common in the generation that grew up when this was happening, and many of them drank milk, ate cheese, etc. from cows grazing on grass that got this contamination on it. Including from Simi valley, where it was a big industry.

Nobody likes to talk about it because good luck quantifying it at this point - and the gov’t does a lot to avoid blowback succeeding. National Security and all.

It doesn’t help that the governments own radiation death models put the population wide cost at several hundred thousand lives lost population wide. But LNT doesn’t really work. But also, clearly there are issues.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downwinders]

Like the 9/11 first responder funds, it’s a nightmare trying to get a pay out, and unlike 9/11 this isn’t from one single event.