‘Smoke could be carrying radioactive chemicals’: Kim and Khloe Kardashian demand action over ‘witch’s brew’ of poisons experts say were released into the air when California wildfire encroached on site of secret nuclear meltdown

  • Wildfire neared the site known as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory last week
  • California regulators said initial testing found no elevated levels of radiation 
  • Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian join calls for governor-elect to take action
  • But experts said it was likely the fire spread contamination that was in the soil

Experts have warned a 'witch's brew' of poisons was likely to have been released into the air when a California wildfire encroached on the site of a nuclear meltdown, as Kim Kardashian and her sisters joined calls for action to be taken.

California regulators said initial testing has found no elevated levels of radiation or hazardous compounds at the site known as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Simi Valley.

The state Department of Toxic Substance Control says its staff went to the site and found that facilities that previously handled radioactive and hazardous materials were not affected by the Woolsey fire.

It says measurements on the site and in the surrounding community found no radiation levels above background levels and no elevated levels of hazardous compounds other than those normally present after a wildfire.

Today Kim Kardashian, plus two of her sisters, Khloe and Kourtney, joined a campaign demanding the governor-elect, Gavin Newsom, take action.

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Experts say a 'witch's brew' of poisons was likely released into the air when a California wildfire encroached on the site of a nuclear meltdown. Pictured, a file photo of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Valley

Experts say a 'witch's brew' of poisons was likely released into the air when a California wildfire encroached on the site of a nuclear meltdown. Pictured, a file photo of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Valley

Kim Kardashian and two of her sisters shared a Change.org petition which called for an investigation into the potential radioactive chemicals released by the wildfires

Kim Kardashian and two of her sisters shared a Change.org petition which called for an investigation into the potential radioactive chemicals released by the wildfires

Kim shared the Change.org petition to her fans on Facebook calling for action to be taken about the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Valley

Kim shared the Change.org petition to her fans on Facebook calling for action to be taken about the Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Valley

All three women shared a Change.org petition which called for an investigation into the potential radioactive chemicals released by the wildfires which swept across the state.

The want a field laboratory near where the fire started in Woolsey, which is 20 miles from their homes, to be cleaned as 'smoke could be carrying radioactive chemicals'.

The Facebook message shared by the family read: 'Our family lives ONLY 20 miles from a nuclear disaster site, the Santa Susana Field Lab, and we didn’t even know it – the #WoolseyFire not only started there, but smoke could be carrying radioactive chemicals. We need incoming governor Gavin Newsom to do something – sign the petition with me.'

The petition is accompanied by a picture of a four-year-old girl who grew up near the lab and now has cancer after allegedly being exposed to contamination from the site.

The Department of Toxic Substance Control said its staff 'do not believe the fire has caused any releases of hazardous materials that would pose a risk to people exposed to the smoke.'

The post, which featured a four-year-old girl who was said to suffer from cancer after exposure from the site, was shared by all three Kardashian sisters

The post, which featured a four-year-old girl who was said to suffer from cancer after exposure from the site, was shared by all three Kardashian sisters

Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian joined sister Kim in calling for governor-elect, Gavin Newsom, take action in a Facebook post
Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian joined sister Kim in calling for governor-elect, Gavin Newsom, take action in a Facebook post

Kourtney (left) and Khloe Kardashian (right) joined sister Kim in calling for governor-elect, Gavin Newsom, take action in a Facebook post

But the organization Physicians for Social Responsibility said it was likely that smoke and ash from the fire spread radiological and chemical contamination that was in soil and vegetation.

In a statement, the organization said the state agency's statement 'failed to assuage community concerns given DTSC's longtime pattern of misinformation about SSFL's contamination and its repeated broken promises to clean it up.'

Dr. Robert Dodge, the president of PSR's Los Angeles chapter,said: 'We know what substances are on the site and how hazardous they are.

'We're talking about incredibly dangerous radionuclides and toxic chemicals such a trichloroethylene, perchlorate, dioxins and heavy metals.

A firefighter battles a fire by the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, California on Monday

A firefighter battles a fire by the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Simi Valley, California on Monday

A flurry of blazes in southern California, most notably the Woolsey Fire, has killed at least two people

A flurry of blazes in southern California, most notably the Woolsey Fire, has killed at least two people

'These toxic materials are in SSFL's soil and vegetation, and when it burns and becomes airborne in smoke and ash, there is real possibility of heightened exposure for area residents.'

Dan Hirsh, who leads nuclear policy non-profit Committee to Bridge the Gap, told Motherboard that a 'witch's brew' is in the ground at the former nuclear test site.

He is concerned that the pollution – which includes mercury, chromium-6, lead and radioactive waste – may have been released due to the fire.

Hirsh said the zones managed by NASA and Boeing are riddled with 'exotic rocket fuels' and the part of the site managed by the Department of Energy contains much of the radioactive contamination.

In a statement on Tuesday, the department said its areas weren't affected by the fire.

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory was used for decades for testing rocket engines and nuclear energy research.

Firefighters put out hotspots as they battle the Peak Fire in Simi Valley, California, on Monday

Firefighters put out hotspots as they battle the Peak Fire in Simi Valley, California, on Monday

One of its nuclear reactors had a partial meltdown in 1959.

Battles over decontamination efforts have gone on for years, with neighbors blaming illnesses on the site.

'We can't trust anything that DTSC says,' said Melissa Bumstead, a West Hills resident whose young daughter has twice survived leukemia that she blames on the site.

'When I look at that fire, all I see is other parents' future heartache,' she added. 

'And what I feel is anger that if the DTSC had kept its word, we wouldn't have these concerns, because the site would be cleaned up by now.'  

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