San Francisco public health authorities have assured the community that no immediate measures are required to safeguard public safety, following the discovery of plutonium in the city. This information, initially reported by SFGate, has sparked significant concern.

Local health officials were taken aback and upset upon learning that elevated levels of plutonium were identified nearly a year ago at the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. The alarming discovery was not communicated to city health authorities until late October.

San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Susan Philip conveyed her frustration in a letter directed to the Navy. Her letter highlighted that the detection of plutonium-239 at the decommissioned shipyard—once a key naval repair facility and site of a radiological laboratory from 1945 to 1974—came to their knowledge only recently.

The Navy reportedly identified the presence of plutonium-239 back in November 2024. Concerns about the potential contamination at the shipyard have persisted for years, exacerbated by the redevelopment of parts of the area into residential housing.