A San Francisco Navy lab knowingly exposed more than 1,000 workers and servicemen to radiation during Cold War-era experiments, leaving a toxic legacy still felt in nearby communities today.
In short:
- The U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard conducted over 24 radiation experiments from 1946 to 1963, exposing at least 1,073 people without informed consent.
- The surrounding Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, predominantly Black by the 1960s, became a Superfund site, with residents and workers now suffering health impacts linked to radioactive contamination.
- Despite spending $1.3 billion on cleanup, the Navy faces criticism for downplaying environmental racism and health risks while pushing forward with redevelopment plans.
Key quote:
“We had to work in areas with a great deal of radioactive fallout and no one ever gave us an opportunity to opt out.”
— Ron Rossi, Army veteran
Why this matters:
Today, Hunters Point is a Superfund site, its soil and air laced with the radioactive remnants of a bygone era. And its predominantly Black and low-income residents are still living with the fallout. Read more: New hope for long-polluted communities, but skepticism of Superfund success remains.
