The Laboratory for Energy-Related Health Research Superfund Site encompasses a 25-acre area, including a former research facility that studied the impact of radiation on beagle dogs, and its adjacent landfill, at the University of California, Davis (UCD).[1] University researchers began studying the possible effects of radiation from nuclear fallout in the 1950s, under an agreement with the unit of the United States Department of Defense that had overseen the Manhattan Project.[1][2] As a result, the site became contaminated with toxic chemicals and dangerous metals such as strontium-90 and hexavalent chromium.[1]
In 2018, UC Davis reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agreeing to spend $14 million to clean up the toxic landfill.[1] Currently, the site is undergoing cleanup processes by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA, also known as Superfund).[3] Site cleanup was jointly operated by the Department of Energy (USDOE) and the UCD, under an agreement negotiated among the EPA, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and the University of California.[4]