Our Radioactive Backyard: Discovering the History and Culture of the Santa Susana Field Lab

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Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge Melissa Bumstead, Jeni Knack, Supervisor Linda Parks, Parents Against SSFL, and the Physicians for Social Responsibility for providing links to resources and background materials for this lesson. For my daughter and all the other children and families whose health and very existence have been impacted by the Santa Susana Field Lab, I say you are not alone and there is hope for a better, cleaner, healthier future. If we are willing to dig through the past to gain the knowledge needed to fight for those who lost their lives, then I know that together we can find a path to advocate for effective change so no one will have to suffer the same fate. We will continue to fight to preserve Indigenous history by providing safe access to historical Indigenous sites for Indigenous people whose land was stolen from them by making sure their land is clean of toxic chemicals and radiation.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth Luevanos

When I found out that the new science teacher at my school was a cancer survivor like I was, I asked him where he lived. He lived only four miles from the Santa Susana Field Lab that I strongly believe had caused my cancer and the illnesses of many others in the surrounding community. He had no idea several children in his neighborhood had died of or barely survived cancer caused by exposure to radiation and toxic chemicals just a few miles away. It was then that I knew that I had to write this lesson plan. As a teacher with more than twenty years in public schools working with underserved populations, I have had to advocate for many environmental justice issues impacting my students, including toxic mold, asbestos, and pollution, as well as leaded water in the sinks and drinking fountains at the schools where I have taught. After talking to the science teacher, I learned that my students and colleagues were hiking and playing soccer in fields just a couple of miles from the Santa Susana Field Lab and none of them knew this was the site of a nuclear meltdown. None of them knew why so many children and adults experienced cancer, asthma, Hashimoto’s disease, lymphoma, dental dysplasia, allergies, and other rare and serious health issues due to exposure to toxic chemicals and radiation left behind by the Santa Susana Field Lab. This led me to disseminate this information about the site to larger populations, including our students. Through my other role as a city council member for the City of Simi Valley and a youth mentor, I have been actively involved in researching and advocating for the clean-up of the Santa Susana Field Lab for many years. This lesson plan is an important vehicle in helping educators, environmental advocates, Indigenous groups, and those directly and indirectly impacted by these environmental disasters to advocate at the local, state, and federal level by educating themselves, informing others, and advocating for accountability from their local, state, and federal elected officials through letter writing and social media campaigns. I hope that this overview serves as a template for other educators to research, address, and write their own lesson plans about environmental issues in their communities, guiding students to learn how to advocate effectively for policies that impact their own well-being and that of their families, schools, and communities by bringing awareness and of these issues to elected officials and people in their community through letter writing, phone calls, and social media posts. The STEMSS project helped me develop new strategies to support my diverse students’ needs and learning styles including English language learners, gifted and talented education students, and students with special needs. Previously, I had never really formalized the cross-curricular connections between civics and science. But after STEMSS, I found that I could help students learn about the ongoing environmental impacts on health issues facing my current students and their families. I was inspired to be able to integrate the environmental justice issues I care about, and I hope this lesson plan inspires others to write lesson plans and advocate for civic engagement in a whole new generation by bringing to light the environmental justice issues impacting the health of their students and community members. I hope the integration of research into the traditional ways of advocacy like phone calls and letter writing along with the use of social media to raise awareness and spur advocacy helps support teachers and inspire students to research environmental justice issues and promote civic engagement in our youth on issues that matter to them and their families and communities.