State Health Officials Retest Soil Near Former Hunters Point Naval Base
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The controversy surrounding the cleanup of a former naval base in San Francisco continued Monday as state health officials returned to Hunters Point to scan the area for radioactive soil.
The testing started at 12:30 p.m. in the area near the Hunters Point Visitors Center. It is a neighborhood where a number of new homes have already been built.
The State Department of Public Health is doing ground surveys -- including gamma radiation scans -- to try to clear up questions about the safety of the soil.
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The land used to be a navy shipyard, where radioactive material was dumped during World War II. Once it closed, the federal government hired contractors to clean it up.
One of the companies, Tetra Tech, has former employees who admitted to falsifying test results for radioactivity.
The company is currently the subject of a $27 billion lawsuit with 2,000 plaintiffs, including many who live in this neighborhood.
The U.S. Navy is paying for Monday's testing. It will be focused on open areas including streets and sidewalks over the next few weeks. If the state finds traces of radioactivity, further testing will be done.
The results of the testing are expected this fall.