Making Contact

Today we present the first half of a two-part radio documentary from our friends at SF Public Press, “Exposed,” opening a window into the little-known history of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. The sprawling abandoned naval base, in San Francisco’s southeast waterfront Bayview neighborhood, is currently the site of the city’s largest real estate development project. The base played a key role in the Cold War nuclear era, when it housed a research institution known as the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, which studied the human health effects of radiation.

In Episode 1 of the podcast, we trace the radioactive contamination found in the shipyard soil today back to its origins, with nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands. We also hear from environmental justice advocates, including one who led a health biomonitoring survey revealing that nearby residents have toxic elements stored in body tissues that match the hazardous chemicals of concern identified at the shipyard.

Featuring:

• Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, community advocate and medical doctor
• Michelle Pierce:, Executive director of Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates
• Leaotis Martin, resident of Bayview
• Raymond Tompkins, community advocate, chemist and former member of the Hunters Point Shipyard Restoration Advisory Board
• Daniel Hirsch, president of Committee to Bridge the Gap; Derek Robinson; Navy representative.

Credits:

San Francisco Public Press:

Reporting: Chris Roberts and Rebecca Bowe
Editing: Michael Stoll and Liz Enochs
Research Editing: Ambika Kandasamy
Web Design: John Angelico
Copy Editing: Kurt Aguilar, Michele Anderson and Richard Knee
Archival Research and Illustration: Stacey Carter
Audio Editing: Liana Wilcox, Mel Baker and Megan Maurer
Sound Gathering: Justin Benttinen
Photography: Sharon Wickham, Yesica Prado and Guillermo Hernandez
Graphic Design: Reid Brown
Fact Checking: Dani Solakian and Ali Hanks
Proofreading: Lila LaHood, Noah Arroyo, Zhe Wu and Sylvie Sturm
Special thanks to Alastair Gee and Danielle Renwick at The Guardian and Ben Trefny at KALW Public Radio, and to Laura Wenus and Amy Pyle

Making Contact:

Host: Salima Hamirani
Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang
Executive Director: Jina Chung
Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong
Engineer: Jeff Emtman
Digital Media Marketing: Anubhuti Kumar

Music Credits:

Midday, by the Blue Dot Sessions
Sweet Leilani, by Bing Crosby

Learn more:

Exposed full investigation

Exposed Part 1

Making Contact Exposed Part 1

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.