Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research Superfund Site
The Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research Superfund Site is a 25-acre area next to the University of California, Davis in Solano County. It includes a former research facility that studied how radiation affects beagle dogs and its nearby landfill.
In the 1950s, UC Davis scientists studied radiation from nuclear fallout under an agreement with a U.S. Defense Department unit tied to the Manhattan Project. This work left the site contaminated with chemicals and metals, including strontium-90 and hexavalent chromium. Research at the site began in the 1950s, with full-scale work starting in 1958, focusing on low-dose radiation exposure to bones using strontium-90 and Radium-226. More than 1,000 beagles were used in the tests, and later on-site laboratories, including a cobalt-60 irradiation area, were added. The site also contains three former landfills and waste disposal areas.
In 1988, a Department of Energy survey flagged environmental problems, and the project was terminated in 1989. In the 1990s, remains of about 800 irradiated beagles and contaminated waste were removed and sent to a disposal facility in Washington state. Various contaminants have been found at the site, with the potential to reach local groundwater and the Putah River, which could affect drinking water and fishing.
Cleanup efforts are led by the Department of Energy and UC Davis, with progress since the site was designated a Superfund site in 1994. All structures have been decontaminated and decommissioned, and much of the contaminated soil and debris has been treated or removed. UCD has improved drainage to reduce leaching, and groundwater is continually monitored.
A 2018 EPA settlement required UC Davis to spend $14 million to clean up the landfill. The goal is to complete the site cleanup for reuse by September 2024.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:58 (CET).