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***STATEMENT***
SAN FRANCISCO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NOTIFICATION ABOUT EARLY RESULTS OF SOIL SAMPLE TESTING AT HUNTERS POINT NAVAL SHIPYARD SITE
The Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, a former naval base in the southeast of the City and County of San Francisco, is undergoing a multi-year phased process of environmental testing, cleanup, and review before ultimately offering to transfer parcels to the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure (OCII) (the successor to the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency) for residential and commercial development and occupation, subject to continued oversight by the State of California to ensure use of the property remains safe. Public safety and environmental protection are the highest priority as the U.S. Navy conduct legally required investigations and clean-up work at the Shipyard under close government oversight.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) has learned that the Navy, while analyzing soil samples at Parcel G of the Shipyard site, has identified preliminary sample results that indicate the presence of the radioactive isotope Strontium-90 above the remedial goals approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Navy is currently reanalyzing soil samples and reviewing the accuracy of the testing methodology.
The Navy is responsible for abating its former property at the Shipyard before transferring it to OCII. The results of the soils analysis do not appear to pose an immediate public safety hazard; furthermore the Parcel G site is unoccupied and precautions are in place to ensure that the soils are contained. The Navy has stated the levels of Strontium-90 detected to date do not indicate a risk to human health or the environment. SFDPH is monitoring the situation closely to ensure the community remains informed. The Navy will not be able to transfer any Shipyard property until all remedial actions necessary to protect human health and the environment have been taken and neither OCII nor the City will accept any property at the Shipyard until the property is deemed safe and ready for development by SFDPH and the appropriate regulatory oversight agencies.
The community can learn more about the Parcel G findings at the next Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee meeting on October 25. More information about the Hunters Point Shipyard radiological remediation and contact information for the Navy can be found here. Further questions should be directed to the Navy. |
