NASA Industrial Plant - Boeing - Kaiser Downey - 12214 Lakewood Blvd., 90241/42 Downey

Representative Henry Waxman representing the 30th District of California is also Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the principal investigative committee in the House.   Rep. Waxman is also a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. He sits on the Subcommittee on Health, the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.  Information about how the Committee System Works is at this link: http://www.house.gov/waxman/committee.htm Time Magazine reports that Nation magazine once called Henry Waxman the "Eliot Ness of the Democrats" and he can do even more, thanks to the two words that strike fear in the heart of every government official: subpoena power. Thus Representative Waxman, who once held Congressional Hearings on the use of Steroids  does have the authority to call Congressional Hearings regarding the defraudment of the American Public on the issue of SuperFund/Brownfield remediation

in Downey, California, the Endangerment of employee lives, the Defraudment of the Federal Government that did give funding to clean up the mess and trusted the corporate interests to do as they promised, the manipulation of government databases - where EPA documents disappeared - and the EPA oversight representative who  mid remediation went to work for the corporation IRG, the downplaying of seriousness or the presentation of questionable environmental documents - meaning - reporting that the NASA Industrial Facility/DowneyLanding/Downey Studios/Kaiser Hospital is safe for people to work on, etc. (Clearly a lot of people have gotten sick from industrial/military contaminants/toxic substances directly related to that property.)  The reported by the City of Downey formally as of May 13, 2008 at the Downey City Council Meeting that the property is so safe  they are going to push through housing, and also place some low income housing on the property which will result in  further detrimental circumstances to  the lives of more American Citizens and foreign nationals.  Heaven only knows what further international complications will come out of knowingly allowing foreign nationals to become harmed by the property.

Finally when the government sold the property, the terms of the sale said that no houses can ever be on the property. Mr. Waxman can protect the people.  He can conduct Congressional Hearings into this matter.  He can expose the defraudment, the endangerment, the alteration/disappearance of government documents, etc. and probably even have the documents reappear if he chooses to do so.  Please call him and let him know that you think it would be good for the people of this country, for the citizens of Southern California to have him find time in his busy schedule to do so and do so very soon.  He can even help to get the people that became ill  from the property some good medical care.

Please contact Mr. Waxman.  Let him know that you care and you would like to have him conduct Congressional Hearings.  You want to know what the government money went to.  You want to get these sick people help.  You want to be able to trust the EPA when they report that the land is cleaned.  Here are some of Mr. Waxman's contact numbers:

In Washington, D.C.
2204 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-3976 (phone)
(202) 225-4099 (fax)

In Los Angeles
8436 West Third Street, Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 651-1040 (phone) (818) 878-7400 (phone) (310) 652-3095 (phone) (323) 655-0502 (fax)
You can also e-mail him at a web form page at:
http://oversight.house.gov/contact/


Kaiser Permanente has built a medical center consisting of outpatient buildings, offices and what they hope will be a major Regional Hospital on a former Superfund site.   This property was privatized because, according to the The United States Government and NASA reports, they simply could not afford to pay to have it cleaned up - it was that bad.  Considering the number of sick people with medical documentation supporting their statements that their illness was caused by that specific property, the property has a long way to go before it is cleaned up.

TYPICALLY YOU WOULD NOT PLACE A HOSPITAL ON TOP OF TOXIC LAND - PERHAPS KAISER WANTED TO BE ON THE SPOT FOR WHEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER BECOMES WELL KNOWN.

This is a piece of property so polluted that under the terms of the contract with the government  - you cannot have a school, a day care or children's center or put houses on it unless you rig the zoning  -  but the ownership of the property is so politically corrupted that  you can put a Kaiser hospital and associated medical buildings on it, but the employees cannot have a child care center at their place of work.  It is safe for the employees but not their children.   See:  http://downey.kaiserpapers.info/kaisersensitive.html


Prior to 1996, A United States Air Force Base/NASA Facility located in Downey, Los Angeles County, CA was designated as a profoundly contaminated SuperFund site. The site was downgraded to "brownfield" level of contamination and sold to The City of Downey. A brownfield site is an abandoned or idle property where expansion or redevelopment may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. This site had been used by the military to develop neutron bombs, rocket fuel, missiles, the Space Shuttle, Satellites, as well as Delta rockets, and was the site of the first nuclear reactor in the State of California.  This information has been greatly documented by numerous U.S. and California Government Agencies.

The property has since been classified as a low priority clean up site and placed into private corporate hands, primarily Industrial Realty Group (or IRG.) and several other corporate entities that appear to be subsidiaries of Arcadis, a Netherlands based corporation). The land was never fully decontaminated.


Contrary to all standards, in 2005, Kaiser Permanente built medical facilities and a Regional Hospital on this property, again, the site of the former nuclear reactor, rocket fuel development, etc., etc. Despite the restriction placed by the City of Downey upon transfer of the property, which clearly states that no day care center, no school for those under 18, no houses, etc., may ever be placed on that property, Kaiser Downey Regional Medical Center has been built there.

The main military building on the property was converted to Downey Studios and used for filming by several companies including Stephen Spielberg's Dreamworks, which has since been purchased by Paramount. Downey Studios is owned by I.R.G.

Serious debilitating illnesses and confirmed deaths are being directly attributed to this property's toxic and radioactive contamination. This land was never fully cleaned up before being used for commercial purposes as a movie studio, a medical facility/hospital and numerous retail businesses. Currently the owners are attempting to turn a portion of it into a mixed use housing development.

Patient advocate, Vickie Travis (Pres. of the Managed Care Reform Council & publisher of the KaiserPapers.org) says, "the public is denied access to the California E.P.A. SuperFund records!" "Every applicable government agency has denied access to this information. No government agency admits to the coverup, and their explanation is that it is somebody else's responsibility." Public documents are being removed from government websites so that the public no longer can view the EPA documents.

NOTE:  On April 1st, 2008, the CA EPA did write the following to me:

"The information you have requested is not in the EPA Region 9 CERCLIS
 database or hardcopy files. At this point, what we have is a draft
 of a preliminary assessment which is not available for release
 without permission from NASA. "

NASA has now been contacted in an attempt to obtain a copy of the report.  They have not reponded to anyone that has contacted them. Fortunately the original EPA documents have been obtained through court records and are being replicated on this web site. See: Foster Wheeler Report

Now they want to put houses/apartment buildings on the property. See: Tierra Luna Project

There are over 100+ people that have become seriously ill and need immediate medical treatment, yet treatment is being denied to most of them all because of their entanglement with the California Worker's Compensation system. Some are diagnosed with radiation poisoning. Many are no longer able to work and are completely disabled. Many have been threatened with lawsuits by IRG. if they publicize the scandal. Even the union representing the employees was sued by IRG. All have serious fungal and mold related illnesses. Some have various heavy metal illnesses. Some have peeling skin, some have terrible and painful rashes. Most have lost a great deal of their hair.  Several cancers have been diagnosed.

Almost all of them are denied any medical treatment because they were forced into the Worker's Compensation system which is routinely denying them ongoing treatment and medications. Despite the medical testing verifying the previous statements, all have been mislabeled as depressed by the Worker’s Comp system or as having "fibromyalgia."

These people still need medical care.

The property was formally transferred to the City of Downey in the 1996 H.R. 3666 [104th]: Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act. This bill was introduced by Rep. Jerry Lewis, voted for by many Congressmen including Senator McCain and signed into law by Pres. Bill Clinton.

The City of Downey's city council was comprised of several members who formerly worked for IRG. (several entities ultimately owned or closely affiliated by the Netherlands-based ARCADIS) and Kaiser Permanente, which then transferred most of the property to IRG. and Kaiser Permanente. IRG. currently manages all of the property known now as Downey Landing where the hospital is located.

Congress privatized a known toxic Superfund military property and today people are acutely ill and dying and begging for help.

Though John McCain says he's running a "Straight Talk Express," in this egregious coverup he is curiously silent. Hillary Clinton, who says she advised her husband Pres. Bill Clinton on many issues, has never taken a stand to expose the coverup and protect the public. Neither McCain nor Hillary have done anything to protect the public.

Senator Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Nancy Pelosi also voted for this bill.

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This page is intended to provide useful information regarding the property that Kaiser Permanente Downey is built on.  The hospital is built at the site of the first nuclear reactor in the state of California.  It is also the location where numerous weapons containing uranium were manufactured and is reported to  have been the location where  enhanced radiation devices were developed.

We have received recent reports that numerous employees on the property have become seriously ill. We now also have reports of deaths that have been medically attributed to the pollution on the Downey property.  Please see Theatrical Stage Employees listing in the index to your left for further information.

The land was previously owned by NASA and managed by Boeing/Rockwell.
    
The land was obtained very inexpensively from NASA for private cleanup and development.  All parties involved in the sale of the property had to have been very aware of the site contamination.  In the case of Kaiser, since at least 1994 they had a clinic onsite.  This was at the least four years before the property was for sale.  How could they not have known?  They were right there.

Kaiser declared itself the environmental authority of the property to declare it's safety.

On March 25, 2003 the Downey City Council & The Downey Community Development Commission met.  The following is reflected in their board minutes.
SEE:  ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS:
19. Comm. Dev.: Letter Agreement with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals to commence work
regarding environmental remediation of the former Downey NASA site by International
Risk Assumption Downey, LLC, and authorize the City Manager to execute agreement.
http://www.downeygis.org/downeyca/Agendas/Agda032503.pdf

Because little information was provided to the agencies that initially examined the property after NASA decided to sell it, the only toxins contaminating the site that were reported at the time were solvents/rocket fuels and arsenic.  

Federal Law 40 CFR Ch. I (7–1–03 Edition) specifically 40 CFR 373 States:
PART 373—REPORTING HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE ACTIVITY WHEN SELLING OR TRANSFERRING FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY
Sec.
373.1 General requirement.
373.2 Applicability.
373.3 Content of notice.
373.4 Definitions.
AUTHORITY: 42 U.S.C. 9620.
SOURCE: 55 FR 14212, Apr. 16, 1990, unless
otherwise noted.
§ 373.1 General requirement.
After the last day of the six-month period beginning on April 16, 1990, whenever any department, agency or instrumentality of the United States enters into any contract for the sale or other transfer of real property which is owned by the United States and at which any hazardous substance was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or disposed of, the head of such department, agency or instrumentality must include in such contract notice of the type and quantity of such hazardous substance and notice of the time at which such storage, release or disposal took place, to
the extent such information is available on the basis of a complete search of agency files.
[60 FR 33915, June 29, 1995] § 373.2 Applicability.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 applies whenever the United States enters into any contract for the sale or other transfer of real property
which is owned by the United States and on which any hazardous substance was stored for one year or more, known to have been released, or disposed of.

(b) The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 for the storage for one year or more of hazardous substances applies only when hazardous substances are or have been stored in quantities greater than or equal to 1000 kilograms or the hazardous substance’s CERCLA reportable quantity found at 40 CFR 302.4, whichever is greater. Hazardous substances that are also listed under 40 CFR 261.30 as acutely hazardous wastes, and that are stored for one year or more, are subject to the notice requirement when stored in quantities greater than or equal to one kilogram. (c) The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 for the known release of hazardous substances applies only when hazardous substances are or have been released in quantities greater than or equal to the substance’s CERCLA reportable quantity found at 40 CFR 302.4. § 373.3 Content of notice.

The notice required by 40 CFR 373.1 must contain the following information: (a) The name of the hazardous substance; the Chemical Abstracts Services Registry Number (CASRN) where applicable; the regulatory synonym for the hazardous substance, as listed in 40 CFR 302.4, where applicable; the RCRA hazardous waste number specified in 40 CFR 261.30, where applicable; the quantity in kilograms and pounds of the hazardous substance that has been stored for one year or more, or known
to have been released, or disposed of, on the property, and the date(s) that such storage, release, or disposal took place.

(b) The following statement, prominently displayed: ‘‘The information contained in this notice is required
under the authority of regulations promulgated under section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Liability, and Compensation Act (CERCLA or ‘‘Superfund’’) 42 U.S.C. section 9620(h).’’ § 373.4 Definitions. For the purposes of implementing this regulation, the following definitions apply:

(a) Hazardous substances means that group of substances defined as hazardous under CERCLA 101(14), and that appear at 40 CFR 302.4.

(b) Storage means the holding of hazardous substances for a temporary period, at the end of which the hazardous substance is either used, neutralized, disposed of, or stored elsewhere.

(c) Release is defined as specified by CERCLA 101(22).

(d) Disposal means the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any hazardous substance into or on any land or water so that such hazardous substance or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including
groundwater.

The following link provides a pretty clear accounting of the materials used on the site and contamination information.  Because the EPA has prevented the public from knowing what records were provided we have no way of knowing if the materials used and stored on the property were actually reported to the authorities prior to the sale of the property to a land developer that currently is attempting to also put a housing tract on the property.
See: http://downey.kaiserpapers.info/secret.html

The following is information regarding the cost savings to the Federal Government by privatizing the clean up:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/report/gao/ns96187.pdf
and
http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/library/report/gao/nsi96187.htm

NASA’s Downey Industrial Plant originally comprised 160 acres in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California. NASA relied on the facility for missile research and development, assembly of rockets and missiles, and, most notably, for the design, production, and assembly of materials for the Apollo Space Program.  See:  https://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/RedinetDocs/Env/ETA-2007.pdf

Currently they are constructing a multi-phase 900,000-sq.-ft. medical center on the 65-acre-site on the former NASA Downey site.

"Despite that challenge, and others (including dealing with site abatement issues, severe noise restrictions due to adjacent film production facilities, and a water table that necessitated numerous pre-stressed concrete piles – each 60 feet in length – before normal footings/foundations could commence) Kaiser Permanente was able to maintain their original occupancy date. The four-story (braced frame) MOB includes 117,060 square feet of space for orthopedic, physical therapy services, as well as other outpatient procedures. "
http://www.mccarthy.com/news/newsletter/summer2006.asp

Photo to your left showing Inter Building 120 middle room view facing SW of Materials Test Lab

Kaiser Permanente Downey is now currently operating on the site of the first nuclear reactor in the state of California.   This was also the location where airplanes were developed and built, rocket fuel was created and tested, bombs and other forms of  warfare were developed and created and the use of uranium on site continued until shortly before NASA decided to sell the property.

This land later became a NASA site and while many wonderful things were created, developed and built on this site, it is this author's personal opinion that she would not want any person that she cared about setting foot on the property.  Please read the following material on this page and the linked pages to understand why that opinion has been stated:

In the time period that the nuclear reactor and the jet and rocket fuel development, etc., was  taking place there were few people living in the area and certainly there was no hospital anywhere near the location.  The regulations were very different and part of the reason that they were different is because people did not yet really know how dangerous these materials can be.

The nuclear reactor was later moved to Santa Susana (the Simi Valley, California area) where for decades the facility denied any adverse exposure to the population.  Those statements since been disproved.  The public was exposed to harmful radiation and has developed numerous cancers related to the exposure.  It took over thirty years for the public to learn the truth and longer for the government to acknowledge it.  

The following is from a Boeing Document regarding the Downey Facility

Abstract

This document describes a radiation survey of a portion of the Downey Facility. This survey is designed to verify that the Downey Facility has not been impacted by radiological operations associated with the Water Boiler Neutron's source( WBNS) Reactor. Measurements taken demonstrated that clean-up standards promulgated by the Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Department of Health Services were met, and that there was no indication of any residual contamination in the facility. Accordingly, the area is suitable for release for unrestricted use.