Officials to test Treasure Island homes for radiation
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Officials told San Francisco's Treasure Island residents that more testing would be done to examine the risks posed by potential radiation exposure there.
Officials with the Navy and various state of California regulatory agencies will begin checking homes next month. Each of the homes will be scanned with a Ludlum Survey Meter, a device designed to detect gamma radiation.
"I always just feel like there's a little bit more to what they're saying," Treasure Island resident Linda Brown said.
Dozens of Treasure Island residents spent the day pressing state officials for new information about possible health risks associated with radiation contamination at or near their homes.
"We don't have the choices that a lot of people think we have, we're a working family," Treasure Island resident Kathryn Lundgren said.
Hundreds of families continue to live in buildings separated by green mesh and wire fencing, just inches from contamination testing sites.
"I'm not sure about all that is being said, so I just ask as many questions as I can," Brown said.
Members of the media weren't allowed to hear what residents asked officials. As soon as the community event started, officials moved reporters into a separate room.
"Progress has been steady," California Department of Public Health spokesperson Steve Woods said.
Officials with the California Department of Public Health who are responsible for oversight of the clean up being done by the Navy, told
ABC7 News that they're doing all they can to warn residents of any potential health risks by communicating their findings openly, but say the work they need to do will take a while.
"It's a very complex site, complex processes, so we are staying vigilant in terms of overseeing that and when needed we come out and actually do our own surveys to make sure things are being done correctly," Woods said.
In two weeks, officials will perform radiological surveys on the ground floor of every residence to collect the data and test for safety, but that may not end the debate.
"It's so close to our homes, and you know it and you just let us sit there," Lundgren said.
