Silver Spoons in Toxic Soups: Predictors of Protective Action in Affluent Neighborhoods near a Contaminated Research Facility

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, California, was among the first sites in the United States to conduct aerospace and nuclear research during the Cold War. Over the nearly 60 years it was in operation, several accidents at SSFL resulted in significant contamination of the surrounding environment. As a result, SSFL was designated as a Superfund eligible site in 1989, although not placed on the National Priorities List, and has since been the subject of numerous lawsuits and health investigations. Prior research near the SSFL has identified hazardous contaminants and possible associations with certain health outcomes, yet uncertainty surrounding the health effects of those exposures has persisted for decades. Despite this uncertainty, one characteristic of the SSFL distinguishes it from many other contaminated sites. The communities surrounding the SSFL are substantially wealthier than those typically studied near Superfund sites. This context allowed us to test protection motivation theory (PMT) as well as other predictors such as health anxiety, morbidity, and distance from the site in a population-type that has been understudied in environmental risk research. Findings indicate that (1) autoimmune and endocrine/metabolic conditions were elevated among those living closest; (2) protective action was most strongly predicted by PMT variables, particularly threat appraisal, and (3) health anxiety partially mediated the relationship between morbidity and protective action.