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Toxic Chemicals in the Air & Soil The Legacy of Los Alamos National Laboratory

In the family room of Kathy and J. Gilbert Sanchez, a plaque displaying J. Gilbert Sanchez’s term as Governor of San Ildelfonso Pueblo is placed next to numerous photos of their grandchildren on top of their television bureau. In the center of the room, a hand woven rug is spread out with numerous items displayed. Kathy explains that the items on the rug represent the centering of the Earth. The first item she picked up was a bundle of sage. She lit it and the peaceful aroma filtered through the room. She explained that the burning of sage represented the process of breathing, reminding us that we must always be thankful for having air. Living next door to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Kathy knows that the air she breathes has been infiltrated with toxic chemicals.

Located 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, the sprawling laboratory covers nearly 52 square miles with 47 technical areas, more than 2,100 individual facilities, and an annual federal budget of more than $2 billion. Los Alamos National Laboratory is involved in nuclear science and technology, counter-terrorism, advanced materials and computing, and climate research. The lab has stewardship over the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Since the 1940’s, LANL has disposed of its radioactive and other hazardous wastes on-site. Liquid wastes have been discharged into canyons, while solid wastes have been buried. This has led to the contamination of the Pueblo’s groundwater—a problem that has inserted a sense of fear and worry into the Pueblo’s daily lives.

Ensuring the protection of groundwater is especially important in Northern New Mexico because of the region’s limited water supplies. Seven of the twelve drinking water supply wells in Los Alamos County are located on the Los Alamos National Laboratory site. Also, a few streams flow from LANL to the Rio Grande, and therefore are in risk of being contaminated. If all this water were to be contaminated with toxic waste, New Mexico could face catastrophic problems.

Long before the term environmental justice was coined, J. Gilbert Sanchez was investigating and organizing around the adverse impact of the Los Alamos National Laboratory on the Pueblo people and their natural resources. As San Ildelfonso’s Governor from 1986-1987 (and Environmental Director from 1989-1995), he developed the tribe’s land use plan and its environmental protection, economic development and cultural preservation offices. As Governor he also led efforts to force LANL and the U.S. Department of Energy to establish the first site-specific, citizen-based advisory board. This was a huge victory for Governor Sanchez and the community.

Yet in 2003, the lab proudly announced that Los Alamos scientists have restored the U.S. ability to make nuclear weapons through the production of the first nuclear weapons pit in 14 years. However, the lab forgot to mention the large amounts of toxic waste it had left in the surrounding communities. The lab’s handling of hazardous materials has fallen far short of federal and state standards.

In November 2006, the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a nonprofit governmental oversight program, studied the effects LANL had on the surrounding communities. Samples of groundwater, soil (dust), and other biological materials were collected from homes, farms, parks, local businesses, and roadsides, and evaluated by Boston Chemical Data Inc. The results of the analyses showed that dust and other offsite biological materials were a source of radiation exposure to residents downwind and down stream of the Lab because they carried Strontium-90, Plutonium, and Uranium isotopes.

The study also found that seven of the eight samples with the highest radiation levels were dusts found from inside homes and offices. Human exposures to these dusts are dangerous because fine dust is more easily breathed into the lungs. The study concluded that if a person were exposed to this dust 200 days per year for 8 hours per day, it translated into an annual exposure of just over 48 millirems per year. That is 5 times the annual off-site dose permitted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Study author Marco Kaltofen of Boston Chemical Data, Inc. stated:

“We are concerned that a number of the random samples we collected contained potentially harmful levels of radioactivity. This study indicates that a broader and more extensive study is needed. We recommend that a health impact survey be undertaken to safeguard the public in and around the Los Alamos area.”

In downtown Los Alamos, soils in publicly accessible areas were found to have the highest plutonium values of the entire study. For example, a soil sample from an area next to the parking lot of the Los Alamos Inn was more than 200 times the state standard. Because of the way radioactive chemicals are transported through dust, action must be taken to minimize airborne particulates. The citizens surrounding LANL were not pleased with the results of the study, and are especially disappointed by the little effort LANL has put forth in order to help clean up the mess they made.

According to then director of GAP Tom Carpentor:

“The legacy of the nuclear arms race is a daily reality for certain residents of the Los Alamos area,” said then director of GAP Tom Carpenter. “Well funded and independent studies are urgently needed to protect public health and safety from health risks from Los Alamos radiation exposure.”

Kathy Sanchez, the director of Tewa Women United, stated:

“Our health was impacted long ago by the nuclear business at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Now there is scientific proof that we have been impacted. This nuclear business must be stopped. LANL must stop making its neighbors homeland casualties of war. We need more intensive, independent testing related to these impacts.”

According to J. Gilbert Sanchez:

“The Pueblo of San Ildefonso made an official visit to sites within LANL in the summer of 1986 and found indications of our food path being impacted LANL activities. My staff revealed to the Department of Energy officials that LANL was signing off on the annual LANL Environmental Surveillance Reports that were incorrect and misleading. LANL/DOE never responded to these findings, which indicates that LANL would rather cover up any negative findings, even to a Sovereign Nation.”

When confronted about these issues, lab spokesman James Rickman said, “The laboratory takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously.”

In October, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) proposed fining the lab $2.3 million because it had mixed demolition rubble with other waste, and fined LANL another $30,000 for not cleaning up an ash pile where classified documents and trash were burned in the 1950s. Previously, NMED proposed a $795,620 fine over the lab’s failure to quickly report chromium contamination in ground monitoring wells, and a $125,000 fine after the lab and the National Nuclear Security Administration dumped 20 tons of hazardous waste into a Los Alamos County landfill. These fines are all under negotiation.

Ray Naranjo of Honor Our Pueblo Existence (HOPE) stated:

“I am outraged that radionuclides and toxic chemicals are found in our homes and at dangerous levels. How will LANL and the Department of Energy (DOE) and its associates respond, now that there is more proof that contamination exists in the environment and in our homes? What steps are they going to take? Are they going to accept full responsibility? DOE and LANL have a trust responsibility to Native people and I pray that these issues are discussed fully with our tribal leaders and members of the public.”

Kathy and J. Gilbert Sanchez had several family members die from rare cancers. They are sure that the contamination of the air and water caused by LANL has something to do with it. Instead of looking back on the past, however, they look towards a better future for their grandchildren. A future that can only be safe if LANL begins to clean up their hazardous mess.

– Rohini Banskota