Earlier this month, the Navy confirmed a detection of airborne plutonium-239, the same isotope used in nuclear weapons, at its Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco. The finding came from an air-filter sample collected on Parcel C during asphalt-grinding operations and measured roughly twice the federal action level for airborne plutonium. Inexplicably, the Navy waited almost a year before notifying San Francisco’s Department of Public Health, a delay that should revive scrutiny of how the cleanup is being managed.
The Navy insists there is no immediate danger, but the discovery is hard to ignore. Plutonium- 239 has a half-life of more than 24,000 years and emits alpha radiation that becomes hazardous when inhaled or ingested. As Haakon Williams, CBG’s Executive Director notes, “Plutonium-239 is not found in the natural world. It is a man-made, extraordinarily poisonous substance.” Williams goes on to note, “According to the well-respected Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, as little as a millionth of an ounce of plutonium-239 inhaled into the lung can cause cancer with statistical near-certainty.”
Also check out recent articles on the pollution at Hunters Point:
Ezra David Romero, ‘Navy Took 11 Months to Alert SF to Airborne Plutonium at Hunters Point Shipyard Site,’ KQED, Oct 31, 2025.
Laura Waxxman, ‘$1B S.F. shipyard lawsuit may end with just $1,200 payout for each resident,’ SF Chronicle, Nov 25, 2025.
Tom Perkins, ‘US navy accused of cover-up over dangerous plutonium in San Francisco,’ The Guardian, Nov 27, 2025.
Robert David, ‘Plutonium Found at Former San Francisco Naval Shipyard – Navy Faces Cover-Up Claims,’ Transcend Media Service, Dec 1, 2025.
Chris Roberts, ‘City Sat on Plutonium Findings, Then Faulted Navy Over Delay,’ San Francisco Public Press, Dec 8, 2025.
