Navy finds radiological material at Hunters Point shipyard
The U.S. Navy said a contractor found radiological material in an unauthorized cabinet storage area at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in April. Community groups are planning a June 24 City Hall rally and are pressing for more community control over cleanup decisions.
The material was found April 8 inside a secure building at the former shipyard, a federal Superfund site that once housed the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory. Navy officials said there were no public or contractor health and safety issues tied to the incident, but did not identify the material.
The discovery adds to years of mistrust around the cleanup, including past falsified reports, a radioactive object found in an area once marked clean and later concerns over air samples. Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice and the Marie Harrison Community Foundation are calling for reparations, community led testing and long term health studies.