‘What else is in the closet?’: The US Navy allegedly knew deadly plutonium was in the San Francisco air for 11 months, and still hid the truth

The US Navy allegedly kept silent for almost a year about potentially dangerous levels of airborne plutonium detected in San Francisco, according to The Guardian. The Navy carried out testing last November that revealed radioactive material at the highly contaminated 866-acre Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, with levels exceeding the federal action threshold.

This shipyard is right next to residential neighborhoods full of condos and even includes a public park. If you live or work anywhere near there, this 11-month delay is absolutely infuriating. The news only became public on October 30 when the city released a bulletin alerting residents to the issue.

City health officials were clearly unhappy about the massive communication gap. In the bulletin, they stated that full transparency is critical and that they “share your deep concerns regarding the 11-month delay in communication from the navy.” Attorneys, community members, and public health advocates have been scrambling for more details since the bulletin dropped, and they finally met with Navy officials just last week.

The US Navy is trying its best to push this massive public health issue under the rug

While the Navy hasn’t outright denied that it withheld the results, the environmental coordinator overseeing the clean-up, Michael Pound, did offer a public apology at a recent community meeting. He said, “I’ve spent a fair amount of time up here getting to know the community, getting to know your concerns, transparency and trust, and on this issue we did not do a good job.”

The Navy, however, is trying to walk back the seriousness of the situation. They claimed the initial reading may have been an error. They took 200 air samples last November and found one that was double the federal action threshold. The Navy subsequently claimed they re-checked that single sample and the second reading was a “non-detect.” They also maintain that the current air levels and exposure times are safe.

You can understand why public health advocates remain extremely skeptical, especially considering the site’s history. Experts estimate that about 2,000 grams of plutonium-239 are currently at Hunters Point. This stuff is one of the most lethal substances on the planet. The inhalation of just one-millionth of an ounce will cause cancer with a virtual 100% statistical certainty.

While the Navy is now primarily focused on hunting narco-terrorists in Operation Southern Spear, its reluctance to properly address this contamination in San Francisco seems to be fueled by money. Jeff Ruch, senior counsel with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility nonprofit, alleges that the Navy is actively trying to avoid spending several billion dollars on a proper clean-up.

This isn’t the first time the Navy has been accused of hiding dangerous material at Hunters Point. Earlier, the Navy and a contractor were accused of falsifying test results regarding strontium-90, another toxic substance found there. Ruch summed up the frustration perfectly when he said, “It’s been one thing after another after another. What else is in the closet? We don’t know and we’re not going to search the closet to find out.”

While this is ongoing, the EPA recently approved a carcinogenic ‘forever chemical’ pesticide for use in the US.