{"id":308846,"date":"2025-12-01T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=308846"},"modified":"2025-12-01T06:08:23","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T06:08:23","slug":"plutonium-found-at-former-san-francisco-naval-shipyard-navy-faces-cover-up-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2025\/12\/plutonium-found-at-former-san-francisco-naval-shipyard-navy-faces-cover-up-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Plutonium Found at Former San Francisco Naval Shipyard \u2013 Navy Faces Cover-Up Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"
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US Navy faces cover-up claims over airborne radiation.
Jaxon Matthews Willis : Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

Multiple tests have detected radioactive compounds in residents’ blood and urine, including plutonium.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

28 Nov 2025\u00a0<\/em>–\u00a0In a shocking revelation on 27 November 2025, airborne plutonium was detected at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, sparking Navy cover-up claims amid health risks to the Bayview neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

The Superfund site, contaminated from Cold War nuclear activities, showed plutonium-239 levels twice the federal threshold in November 2024 samples, yet the Navy delayed disclosure for 11 months.<\/p>\n

As community outrage mounts over environmental hazards and radiation exposure, advocates demand transparency in this ongoing cleanup saga.<\/p>\n

Historical Context of Hunters Point Contamination<\/h2>\n

The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, an 866-acre site in San Francisco<\/a>, served as a staging ground for nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War. In the 1950s, the Navy decontaminated 79 ships irradiated<\/a> during Pacific Ocean nuclear tests, leading to profound radiological contamination.<\/p>\n

The Environmental Protection Agency designated it a Superfund site in 1989 due to hazardous radioactive materials. Additionally, the yard housed a secret Navy research lab where animals were injected with strontium-90, exacerbating environmental hazards. Estimates suggest about 2,000 grams of plutonium-239<\/a> remain, posing ongoing risks.<\/p>\n

Operations at this Cold War lab exposed at least 1,073 people to radiation<\/a>, with persistent threats to nearby communities. This history underscores the site’s legacy of fallout and experimentation, fuelling current concerns over incomplete cleanups.<\/p>\n

The 2024 Plutonium Detection and Delay<\/h2>\n

In November 2024, the Navy collected 200 air samples at Hunters Point and detected plutonium-239 in one sample at twice the federal action threshold. The sample, from Parcel C<\/a> adjacent to residential condos and a public park, raised alarms when results emerged in March 2025.<\/p>\n

However, the Navy withheld this information from San Francisco officials for 11 months, only disclosing on 30 October 2025. The Navy claimed a re-check showed non-detect, but advocates question this. Navy officials sent the sample to a lab for analysis, and the initial results came back in March 2025, showing high radiation levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

An X post from Jerry Chamberlain<\/a> highlighted the Guardian article on the cover-up. This delayed disclosure has intensified scrutiny on the Navy’s transparency.<\/p>\n

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