Forever chemicals at former Nasa lab are leaking into LA River, say watchdogs

‘Pollution control agencies are not just asleep at the switch but appear to be in a coma,’ said Jeff Ruch, a director at the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Photograph: Citizen of the Planet/Alamy

Two highly toxic chemicals polluting a former Nasa research site are also probably contaminating the Los Angeles River and aquifer from which the region’s agricultural growers draw their water, watchdog groups and a whistleblower charge.

The Santa Susana field laboratory about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles is already notorious for its radioactive waste, but the site, which is owned by the federal government and Boeing, is also now suspected of leaching polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” into the water.