Santa Susana Field Laboratory Area IV Information

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) is located in eastern Ventura County, California, and borders Los Angeles County. The SSFL is divided into four administrative and operational portions based on ownership and operations. Area IV was devoted to nuclear operations. It is Area IV that is covered under EEOICPA as a DOE facility.

Coverage includes, but is not necessarily limited to the following operations: The Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC), the Nuclear Development Field Laboratory (NDFL), and the Liquid Metal Engineering Center (LMEC). This also includes the Sodium Reactor Experiment Facility, the Kinetics Experiment Water Boiler Facility, the Water Boiler Neutron source (which is also known as the AE-6/L-85 Facility), the Organic Moderated Reactor, as well as facilities in Area IV associated with the Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) Program; the Sodium Graphite Reactor Critical Facility, the Shield Test Experiment/Shield Test Irradiation Reactor Facility, the Advanced Epithermal Thorium Test Facility, the Hot Lab Facility, the Fuel Storage Facility, the Radioactive Measurement Facility, the Radioactive Material Handling Facility, the Van De Graaff Accelerator Facility and the Radiation Instrument Calibration Laboratory.

Decontamination, decommissioning and demolition of radiological facilities in Area IV has been funded by the DOE beginning in the 1970’s, but predominantly since 1988.

Throughout the course of operations in Area IV, the potential for beryllium exposure existed.

Alternative Names

• Atomics International
• Energy Systems Group
• Energy Technology Engineering Center
• ETC
• ETEC
• Kinetics Experiment Water Boiler Facility
• Liquid Metal Engineering Center
• LMEC
• Nuclear Development Field Laboratory
• NDFL
• Propulsion Field Laboratory
• PPL
• Rockwell International
• SSFL
• Sodium Reactor Experiment Facility
• Water Boiler Neutron Source (AE-6/L-85 Facility)

Type of Facility

• Department of Energy

Covered by EEOICPA

• Part B and Part E

EEOICPA Covered Years

• 1955-1988 (DOR)
• 1988-Present (remediation)

Contractors

• 1996-2015 The Boeing Company
• 1973-1996 Rockwell International
• 1968-1973 North American Rockwell
• 1955-1967 North American Aviation

DOE

• DOE Facility List by Name
• FUSRAP Considered Site
• Environmental Management
• Historical Documents
• Historical Site Assessment
• Boeing Website

DOL

• Tracking your DOL Claim Status
• Advisory Board on Toxic Substances and Worker Health
• Ombudsman’s Office
• Resource Center
• DOL Case and Claim Statistics
• Site Exposure Matrix
• Approved Special Exposure Cohorts
• Bulletin 09-14: Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory SEC Class
• Bulletin 10-10: SEC Class for Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL Area IV) from January 1, 1959 through December 31, 1964
• Circular 17-01: Santa Susana Field Laboratory – Area IV Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) from January 1, 1965 through December 31, 1988

NIOSH

• FAQs About Your Case
• Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health
• AWE Site Wide Documents
• NIOSH Case Statistics
• Special Exposure Cohort Status Table
  • Petition 234: “All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked in any area at Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Ventura County, California, from January 1, 1965, through December 31, 1988, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
  • Petition 093: “All employees of the Department of Energy (DOE), its predecessor agencies, and DOE contractors and subcontractors who worked in any area of Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days from January 1, 1955 through December 31, 1958, or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees in the SEC.”
  • Petition 156: “All employees of the Department of Energy, its predecessor agencies, and their contractors and subcontractors who worked in any area of Area IV of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory from January 1, 1959 through December 31, 1964, for a number of work days aggregating at least 250 work days, occurring either solely under this employment or in combination with work days within the parameters established for one or more other classes of employees included in the Special Exposure Cohort.”
• Work Site Information

Other Resources

• BTComp Contractor/Subcontractor Database
• Library of Congress Historic Buildings
• Waste Lands-America’s Forgotten Nuclear Legacy Database