Report on Radiation Still Questioned

Nearly a year after the Navy released a confidential study on whether beach residents are being subjected to hazardous radiation, activists continue to question the report.

In the latest move, members from the environmental group Beacon this week asked the California Coastal Commission to put the issue on its January agenda. The commission agreed to take up the issue of the Navy’s environmental studies at Port Hueneme Naval Surface Warfare Engineering Facility, said Lee Quaintance, a member of the environmental group.

Navy officials concluded from the report, released in January, that there may be hazardous radiation levels on Navy property, but no emissions that would endanger nearby residents.

However, residents remain concerned that portions of the report were not released, and they have lobbied top Navy officials for full disclosure.

Navy Cmdr. Paul Benfield said the base has released all information it can to the public without jeopardizing national security. That information includes two appendixes to the report that were initially held back, but released with some parts deleted.

Beacon members want the full report.

“There’s no question it’s the obligation of the Navy to establish the safety of this facility, not only on humans but on coastal zones and wildlife,” Quaintance said Friday.