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Navy Won't Investigate Nuclear Pollution At San Francisco's Treasure Island

Posted by timothy on from the charming-fixer-upper-quaint-'50s-charm-must-see dept.

Lasrick writes "The Center for Investigative Reporting spent a year investigating whether San Francisco's Treasure Island is contaminated with radioactive material left over from the decades the island was a naval base. Treasure Island is being transferred into civilian hands, and the city of San Francisco has plans to turn it into a 'second downtown.' Despite the fact that radioactive debris has been found around the island, the Navy refuses to conduct testing that might show whether radiation cleanup should be started before development begins, Independent testing by CIR and others has found high levels of cesium 137 and other radioactive substances at several spots on the island, and by examining unclassified military documents, CIR has found that the history of the nuclear work done at Treasure Island and the lack of safety protocols at the time mean the contamination is most likely wide-spread. Complaints by current residents has only resulted in bureaucratic infighting among state health departments and the Navy."

8 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Caveat emptor x2 by i+kan+reed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Let the buyer beware, and be extra wary when the seller is the one responsible for enforcing the safety of sellers.

  2. Is it going to be paved? by NReitzel · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If the area is going to end up paved, without wells or agriculture, then low level cesium contamination is beside the point.

    When Los Alamos (of Plutonium era) was refurbished for civilian use, the walls were painted over with bright red paint, followed by white paint. The paint was adequate to block plutonium alphas and daughter betas. The rule for the buildings was "if you see red, call maintenance."

    --

    Don't take life too seriously; it isn't permanent.

    1. Re:Is it going to be paved? by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Stop pointing out the facts!! The alarmism sells so much better, especially when it involves R A D I A T I O N ! !

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  3. Ooh Scary! by Lawrence_Bird · · Score: 5, Informative

    You have to read to just about the end to get this:

    Those concentrations do not confirm a health hazard, according to Jan Beyea, a prominent nuclear physicist specializing in the health effects of low-level radiation. They are no greater than common contamination worldwide from 20th-century nuclear fallout.

    1. Re:Ooh Scary! by compro01 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That line only applies to the cesium. The radium contamination is more relevant, as it means the building will have radon problems that will require dealing with.

      --
      upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
  4. And coming up next on Mythbusters! by the_skywise · · Score: 4, Funny

    Has Adam Savage gained super powers after his exposure to radiation?

    Jamie: "Okay, Adam jump off the top of the building!" ...
    Jamie: "Nope... can't fly..."

  5. Re:It's deja vu ... by voodoo+cheesecake · · Score: 5, Informative

    Thought you might like this from Troubled Lands The Legacy of Soviet Environmental Destruction by D. J. Peterson
    http://www.rand.org/pubs/comme...
    (Chapter 5)

    "For example, in the town of Sillamae in northeastern Estonia, nearly
    300 children attending two kindergartens suffered a loss of hair in 1989.
    When the story first broke in March of that year, the Soviet press agency,
    TASS, reported that specialists initially had suspected the cause to be
    natural radioactivity emanating from local shale deposits. Subsequent
    tests, however, revealed that background radiation in the town was
    normal. After months of speculation and controversy, the former director
    of the Baltiets enterprise, a local defense industry, revealed that his com-
    pany had dumped radioactive wastes in the town. The two kinder-
    gartens were built over the dump, separated from it by only a thin layer
    of sand."

  6. The Army actually built this island from scratch.. by cyn1c77 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... now the corporate sector is getting impatient that they can't profit off of it! Ridiculous.

    The most cost efficient solution would be to just remove the highway exit leading to the island.

    Build a new island if you want to build high-priced condos to continue to overpopulate San Francisco. Or let the corporations that will profit off of the condos actually pay to cleanup the island.