CommentsCOMMENTARY - This is the one story that I have not wanted to write.
The “NBC Nightly News” is the primary source of my daily national and international news. I also record the “Rachel Maddow Show” and “Morning Joe” as my best sources of information at the National level – both of these shows are on MSNBC.
In my opinion, this “documentary” is in large part based on a “cultlike following” made possible by social media. Just as we are learning that FACEBOOK has an algorithm that attracts people to certain stories, the ability to use You Tube, Facebook, and Twitter as the sources of what some individuals believe to be the facts about public health risks is alarming.
Melissa Bumstead runs a website on FACEBOOK called the Parents v SSFL.
She posts videos from various public meetings including the West Hills Neighborhood Council’s Environment Committee meeting, her various trips, as well as meetings with the agency leaders of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. In looking at this link just now, I notice that she has chosen to show me speaking at one meeting:
WHY ARE THERE NO CONTROLS OVER SOCIAL MEDIA – PEOPLE GIVING OUT MISINFORMATION RELATED TO HEALTH RISKS FROM A CONTAMINATED SITE, THE PROPAGATION OF A NUCLEAR MELTDOWN THAT DID NOT OCCUR, ETC.?
This is the link to the meeting with DTSC where I spoke regarding the misinformation on FACEBOOK, etc., related to the SSFL and offsite risk: I speak at about 34minutes 36 seconds related to the misinformation related to the SSFL site cleanup.
This “documentary” that MSNBC is going to show is a compilation of video footage taken by numerous people over the past decade or more. Some of these clips include footage from the NBC News Los Angeles reports on the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. I have written to NBC News employees on numerous occasions to point out the inaccuracies of their reporting. As far as I can tell, the hosts on these shows read what is written for them by their staff, and it appears that the news anchors believe what they read is true. Like MSNBC, I have been unable to find a contact person at the Los Angeles NBC News affiliate who will listen to other points of views than the activists that they have profiled on their shows over the past few years.
Please understand that I currently do not have access to the video that I am referencing which MSNBC will be playing. I am referencing my notes taken more than six months ago.
This is a screen shot of Melissa Bumstead speaking at a Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board (LARWQCB) meeting on May 9, 2010. The gentleman seated to the right is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology from Los Angeles Pierce College – Bruce M. Rowe
What is the reason that I posted this photo?
I watched the “documentary” “In the Dark of the Valley” when it played on the computer during the Cleveland Film Festival in April 2021. What I wrote as I took notes for myself was: “Bruce started the meeting at the WaterBoard meeting.”
The video link to that meeting is here.
In that meeting, the Boeing Expert Storm Water Panel (who were chosen by the Los Angeles Regional Quality Control Board for their expertise and independence), but are paid for by The Boeing Company, were giving an update on the storm water exceedances of Boeing’s Santa Susana Field Laboratory NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit). This meeting occurred after the Woolsey Fire had burned a substantial portion of the SSFL site.
The presentation made by the Boeing Expert Panel that day can be found here.
Later in the “documentary,” you see Dr. Michael Stenstrom from UCLA – the Chair of the Boeing Expert Panel in a video clip I believe was taken at this meeting.
Dr. Michael Stenstrom of UCLA, the Chair of the Boeing Santa Susana Field Laboratory Expert Panel, is giving his presentation at the WaterBoard hearing. In this photo he is showing a map of the NPDES “Outfalls” – sampling locations at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) at the Request of one of the WaterBoard’s members.
This is a screen shot of the Outfall map for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory from the power point given by the Boeing Expert Storm Water Panel.
These are the primary sampling locations to the south that flow to the Bell Canyon watershed, and east to Dayton Canyon from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Outfalls 18, 11, 2, and 1 would drain to the south to Bell Creek, while Outfall 8 drains to the east to Dayton Canyon.
This is the link to the Human Health Risk Assessment that the WaterBoard ordered for the potential exposure by anyone who would be able to access Bell Creek or the other outfalls from the SSFL site.
“The beneficial use designations set forth in the Los Angeles Water Quality Control Plan (Basin Plan) have been used to identify the surface water uses that may be relevant when establishing the HHRA exposure assumptions. The Basin Plan identifies intermittent recreational beneficial use designations for the creeks downstream of the Site, although the smaller tributary drainages near the SSFL boundary are not explicitly identified in the Basin Plan (LARWQCB, 1994). Therefore, people (referred to as “recreators”) who might enter the drainage areas (e.g., while hiking) were identified as the receptor group that have the potential to be exposed to surface water runoff that is exiting the SSFL via the Outfalls. The HHRA evaluated exposure associated with non-swimming water contact recreational activities (hiking, rafting and other limited recreational uses that fall under the Basin Plan Limited Water Contact Recreation (LREC-1) designation). Direct exposures to surface water, i.e., incidental ingestion and dermal contact, were identified as the most likely potentially complete exposure pathways and were evaluated quantitatively in the HHRA. In addition, the inhalation pathway and the completeness of the aquatic plant and fish consumption pathways is evaluated. Potential recreator exposures to sediment in the drainages, including areas near the Outfalls, are being addressed as part of Site closure activities in accordance with three regulatory orders under oversight by the Cal-EPA Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC); therefore, exposures to sediment were not evaluated in this HHRA.”
“Risk-based concentrations (RBCs) were derived for each constituent of potential concern (COPC) at each Outfall. RBCs represent the concentrations of COPCs in the relevant environmental medium (i.e., surface water at each Outfall) that would be considered safe for receptors (i.e., recreators) under conservative (i.e., protective) exposure conditions. For each COPC, both an RBC based on cancer effects and an RBC based on noncancer effects was derived where applicable as not all chemicals exhibit both effects. Further, both an “upper bound” and “lower bound” value for each RBC was determined, corresponding to the assumed upper and lower bound exposure frequencies. Potential cumulative cancer risks and noncancer hazards were then estimated by summing the ratios of measured COPC concentrations and the appropriate RBCs.
The cumulative cancer risk and noncancer hazard index posed by the presence of all chemicals detected in surface water at a given outfall were estimated. Wherever possible, the assumptions used in estimating risk and hazard were generally health-protective and conservative in nature. Consequently, the calculated cancer risk and noncancer hazard indices presented in this HHRA are biased high and will over-estimate potential risks. All cumulative cancer risk estimates and cumulative noncancer hazard index (HI) estimates were below the de minimis risk level of 1 x 10-6 and noncancer HI of 1. In addition, lead exposure point concentrations (EPC) for all outfalls were less than the recreator health-protective concentration of 31.8 µg/L (with the highest lead EPC being 13 µg/L).”
“The results of this HHRA indicate that, potential recreational exposures to COPCs in surface water runoff exiting the SSFL via Outfalls 001, 002, 008, 009, 011, 018, and 019 are below levels of concern as established by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This includes those COPCs that have had NPDES permit limit exceedances including lead and dioxins.”
“Worst Nuclear Accident” at that Santa Susana Field Laboratory in 1959
In one of the segments of this story, John Pace, a reactor trainee at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, is shown in a cartoonish way on his drive which is stated as going to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory for the shift which starts at 11:00 pm on July 13th, 1959.
Is Mr. Pace a credible witness? A Senior Scientist for the Federal EPA who led the SSFL radiation study, and who interviewed Mr. Pace told me that Mr. Pace was unable to tell him what week in July that he was asked to take a week off from his job at the Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE). Furthermore, in a video that I saw of Mr. Pace, I recall him stating that when he came back from his week off, he found a pile of furniture behind the SRE. And while I did see a photo of furniture stacked up behind the SRE, in the video it is my understanding that Mr. Pace said that the furniture was put outside “to cool off.” I have brought that discussion to the attention of DTSC employees. Radiation does not cool off when exposed to the outdoors. To me, this shows a complete lack of understanding of radioactive decay.
In his story about what happened that day, Mr. Pace also references a Dr. Marvin J. Fox. He states that Dr. Fox told everyone to “shush” – not to tell their families about what occurred that day.
Yet nowhere in my online research have I been able to find any documents showing that Dr. Fox worked at the Sodium Reactor Experiment in 1959. The only reference that I could find placed Dr. Fox in Italy from 1957 – 1959. It is not clear when he returned from Italy:
It would be surprising to me if Dr. Fox did work at the SRE or if he did have any significant role in its operation because I discussed this reactor and the employees that worked there at length with the Senior Engineer at the Sodium Reactor Experiment – Jim Owens, the Ad Hoc Committee Chair of the Incident, Dr. Joe Lundholm, and many others. Dr. Fox’s name never came up.
Other clips in this story include old NBC news footage about the incident reported by Warren Olney. One clip included an engineer who worked for Atomics International for a number of years – John Walter. He was in the History Channel story about the Sodium Reactor, but he is usually edited out of that documentary by people that post parts of that video. I spoke to John earlier this year. He worked on the Sodium Reactor Experiment I believe until the time that the SRE was demolished.
Later in this story, you see references to the site being the headwater of the Los Angeles River (Bell Creek). There is reference to the Brandeis – Bardin Children’s camp. But there is no reference to the study done by DTSC of the contaminants at the Brandeis – Bardin Camp that was requested by former Assemblymember Matt Dababneh who was concerned about the families that he represented that frequented that camp. A fact sheet on the Brandeis – Bardin camp and a link to the DTSC study can be found here.
MSNBC AND THEIR ACQUISITION OF THIS DOCUMENTARY
I have multiple Google Alerts set up for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. I first received an alert that MSNBC had acquired the rights to this documentary on October 8, 2021. I went to MSNBC’s website, and I filled in their contact form. When I did not get a response, I sent an email to their media link.
I also tried to call MSNBC Media Relations that day with no answer.
On Saturday October 9th, 2021, I sent an email to this link: [email protected]
My email was titled: “The Story I don't want to write: "MSNBC Failed to do "Due Diligence" on its "Documentary" - "In the Dark of the Valley"
Again, I did not even get an automated response from MSNBC. How disappointing!
From an article in Variety, I learned that the “documentary” was being pushed by the MSNBC President: Rashida Jones. This is her quote in Variety: “
“This is one of the most devastating man-made environmental disasters in our country that we rarely talk about,” MSNBC President Rashida Jones said in a statement. “This film illustrates the relentless efforts of mothers in pursuit of truth and heightens the human side of this poignant story.”
“In the Dark of the Valley” is produced by Nikomy, Good Shoes Inc. and Siloam Road, in association with Village Roadshow Television. Jones and Amanda Spain, vice president of longform acquisition for MSNBC Films, are executive producers. The team also includes director of animation Elyse Kelly and composer Katy Jarzebowski.”
I called MSNBC President Rashida Jones. I was surprised to reach her. She told me that she was busy getting ready for an event. She also said that she would have Amanda call me. I believe that the Amanda that she referenced is Amanda Spain.
I gave Ms. Jones my contact information. When I did not hear back from her or Ms. Jones, or anyone else at MSNBC, I followed up with another call to Ms. Jones where I left a message with my contact information.
This is the 5-mile radius map of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory by Dr. Thomas Mack of USC an internationally renowned epidemiologist and Chair of California’s Prop 65 Committee.
Please see my article on Children’s Cancers and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory: “Children’s Cancer and the Santa Susana Field Laboratory: Physicians - First, Do No Harm”
Look at the five-mile radius created by Dr. Mack’s team and the map in this article plotted by Melissa Bumstead and other residents in this area. If we allow these parents and their children to believe that their cancers were sourced at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory or from the Woolsey Fire, then they are not looking for other potential causes of their families’ cancers including genetics, food, medications, medical procedures, exposures to toxic chemicals in the home, exposure to chemicals from baby toys, baby plastics like nipples and pacifiers, clothing treated with flame retardants that are toxic, furniture that is treated with chemicals such as flame retardants or to prevent stains. They are not looking at their own soil – what is chemicals and radionuclides are naturally occurring in this area - and the pesticides and herbicides that have historically been used in this area.
Please read my article: “Was There a Meltdown at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory?”.
IN CONCLUSION:
To Ms. Rashida Jones, to Ms. Amanda Spain, and to the employees of MSNBC:
- It is my opinion that you have failed to do “Due Diligence” regarding the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, what happened there in 1959, what the offsite risk is today, and what the causes are of children’s cancers.
- By promoting this movie and putting it out for the world to watch, you are perpetuating the “Meltdown Myth” and you are going to create more alarm in my community.
- It is my opinion that stories like this are the equivalent to the misinformation that many media outlets put out relative to COVID – 19 risks, vaccinations, and masks, and other issues related to this pandemic.
- It is my opinion that all you have done is to help to fund the ongoing litigation by the non-profits PSR-LA, Committee to Bridge the Gap et al that have been suing DTSC and the California Department of Public Health since 2013. These plaintiffs lost in the Sacramento Superior Court in 2018, and they are now tying up the site in litigation at the California 3rd District Court of Appeals since 2019. See the link to the case.
- I ask that you put the lives and the mental health concerns of my community before the profits of MSNBC.
Please pull “In the Dark of the Valley” from your documentary lineup!
(Chris Rowe a 43-year resident of West Hills, CA, is a Public Health and Environmental Health Advocate. She was employed at Northridge Hospital, Tarzana Medical Center, and West Hills Hospital while in pursuit of her college degrees. She has a B.S. in Health Education from CSUN. Chris is a former member of the West Hills Neighborhood Council and served on committees of the Woodland Hills Warner Center Neighborhood Council. She writes a blog on the USC / Annenberg School of Health Journalism site. She has written for the Daily News, OURLA.ORG, RonKayeLA.org, and for CityWatch.)