A former rocket testing and development site in Canoga Park is under increased scrutiny after recent tests showed high levels of two toxic chemicals in surrounding homes and businesses.
The report, submitted on behalf of RTX Corp. to the California State Water Resources Control Board in June, details soil vapor and groundwater inspections at seven locations near the now-vacant land that once housed Rocketdyne’s test and development site. It is adjacent to the Westfield Topanga mall.
At each of the seven locations, tests recorded levels of toxic cleaning solvents that were above environmental screening levels that could pose a long-term threat to human health and the environment.
The report suggests further testing in residential and commercial areas north and east of the former Rocketdyne site, as groundwater flows tend to carry toxic chemicals in that direction.
Several residents whose apartment building was tested spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity and said they had not been notified of the test results and were unaware the tests had been conducted.
A resident of a building north of where the elevated levels were detected said he had not been notified. He has noted that there is security at the vacant lot, but if anything has changed recently, he said it would be “hard for me to notice.”
Another resident of the building said she was unaware that testing had been conducted and asked for more information. It was unclear whether RTX or the state water board planned to notify residents.
RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies Corp., did not respond to requests for comment.
The state water board confirmed that the agency is reviewing RTX's findings and consulting with toxicologists from the state Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
The water board said in written responses that it had notified about 7,000 residents and interested parties near the site, “including residences and businesses within a 500-foot radius of the property line.”
The 55-acre Rocketdyne plant opened in 1955 and produced thousands of rocket engines. Engines produced at the plant helped put the first man on the moon in 1969 and powered NASA's space shuttles. Boeing acquired the company in 1996.
At the height of the U.S. space race with Russia, the Canoga Park plant employed 22,000 people. By 2010, it was beginning to close, leaving behind the remnants of its industrial processes, including chemicals known as TCE and PCE.
Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is a colorless liquid that has been used to remove dirt from airplane engines, strip paint, and remove stains from dry-cleaned shirts. After decades of widespread use in the U.S., thousands of sites have become contaminated with TCE, and a recent paper suggests a connection between the chemical and Parkinson's disease.
Perchloroethylene, or PCE, is a cleaning solvent that has been linked to several types of cancer. California banned the use of PCE in dry cleaners in 2023, after decades of use as a stain and soil removal agent.
In total, the report prepared for RTX by Haley & Aldrich Inc. included 66 soil vapor samples and 18 groundwater samples between October 2023 and May 2024.
“The presence of a chemical substance in concentrations greater than a [environmental screening level] “It does not necessarily indicate adverse effects on human health or the environment,” the report states, “but rather warrants further evaluation.”
Another site known as Rocketdyne, in the nearby hills of Ventura County, has also worried residents. The Santa Susana field lab, one of the most toxic sites in the state, is the subject of a documentary by a mother who believes exposure to toxicity caused her son and her neighbors' children to develop cancer.
The Santa Susana cleanup has been controversial and has faced significant delays. Rocketdyne's smaller site in Canoga Park has received less attention.
Additionally, the state water board has notified about 4,000 residents near a former Litton Industries site northeast of the Rocketdyne site and also in Canoga Park about exposure to toxic chemicals, said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics.
She believes sewer lines may be connecting the two toxic sites, causing them to mix.
“We're pretty confident that these two sites will come together,” he said, characterizing vapor intrusion sites like those at Litton Industries and Rocketdyne as “very alarming.”
“The fact that people living near these sites are not being notified is a matter of great concern to us,” Williams said.
