nuclear-news

Treasure Island, a man-made landmass within view of the Golden Gate Bridge, is the former site of a US military base that is now home to renovated land areas, playgrounds, and apartment buildings. San Francisco lawmakers previously announced their intention to build an 8,000-unit tower there once the Navy formally cedes land rights.

Earlier this year, workers with the California Department of Public Health found radioactive shards in the ground on the western side of the island. One object was so radioactive that holding it for an hour would result in burns, hair loss, and other maladies, according to the Center for Investigative Reporting.

An internal memo written in September and unveiled this week admonished officials’ prior notice for implying that the area is known to be safe.“Further evaluation should be made of the probability of a member of the public, especially critical members of the population (for example, children) picking up a radioactive fragment and being exposed,” state health officials wrote, as quoted by the Center for Investigative Reporting.

“As of 2011, 575 radioactive shards had been found on Treasure Island,” the memo continued. “Regulators have speculated that the shards could have been buried for military practice using Geiger counters, which measure radiation. Earlier this year CDPH officials found radioactive shards buried in lawns near apartments on the island.” …..http://rt.com/usa/san-francisco-radiation-poisoning-report-744/