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Navy finds massive cache of deadly radiological material including uranium hidden in CA
Posted on 6/17/26 at 1:36 pm
Posted on 6/17/26 at 1:36 pm
LINK
Government officials found a cache of radiological materials at a San Francisco shipyard that was allegedly stashed there by a former employee of a US Navy subcontractor.
The Navy and the subcontractor said the suspect is an employee of RSI Entech, which was hired by the military to remediate the area.
Around 200 radiological items — including samples of uranium and thorium — were found in a locked cabinet within a large complex called Building 400A in Hunters Point in April.
The items also included liquid scintillators, a specialized laboratory instrument used for radiological analysis. Most of the items were radioactive isotopes known as “check sources” that are used to calibrate devices like a Geiger counter.
Jeff Bale, director of operations at RSI Entech, said the materials were stored there by a “rogue” employee.
“It was a rogue situation by a rogue employee that we’re trying to get to the bottom of,” Bale said at an advisory committee meeting, according to SFGate.
A secured, radiologically controlled area in Building 400A.
The area is secured and designated as a radiologically controlled area pending radiological survey.
He believes the employee brought the items into the building between 2019 and 2022 while working for Envirachem, which was acquired by RSI Entech in 2023. “At the time of this purchase, this 400A area was not disclosed to us,” Bale said at the meeting.
Navy environmental coordinator Michael Pound said the employee did not have the authorization to have the materials in the building.
The Navy said that there has been “no health or environmental concern identified,” and the area is “designated as a radiologically controlled area pending radiological surveys.”
The materials found there are being evaluated “for proper handling and disposal.” The Navy is currently aiming to complete the evaluation and dispose of the materials.
No further information about the employee is known. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division are now investigating if the employee broke any laws.
...
Government officials found a cache of radiological materials at a San Francisco shipyard that was allegedly stashed there by a former employee of a US Navy subcontractor.
The Navy and the subcontractor said the suspect is an employee of RSI Entech, which was hired by the military to remediate the area.
Around 200 radiological items — including samples of uranium and thorium — were found in a locked cabinet within a large complex called Building 400A in Hunters Point in April.
The items also included liquid scintillators, a specialized laboratory instrument used for radiological analysis. Most of the items were radioactive isotopes known as “check sources” that are used to calibrate devices like a Geiger counter.
Jeff Bale, director of operations at RSI Entech, said the materials were stored there by a “rogue” employee.
“It was a rogue situation by a rogue employee that we’re trying to get to the bottom of,” Bale said at an advisory committee meeting, according to SFGate.
A secured, radiologically controlled area in Building 400A.
The area is secured and designated as a radiologically controlled area pending radiological survey.
He believes the employee brought the items into the building between 2019 and 2022 while working for Envirachem, which was acquired by RSI Entech in 2023. “At the time of this purchase, this 400A area was not disclosed to us,” Bale said at the meeting.
Navy environmental coordinator Michael Pound said the employee did not have the authorization to have the materials in the building.
The Navy said that there has been “no health or environmental concern identified,” and the area is “designated as a radiologically controlled area pending radiological surveys.”
The materials found there are being evaluated “for proper handling and disposal.” The Navy is currently aiming to complete the evaluation and dispose of the materials.
No further information about the employee is known. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division are now investigating if the employee broke any laws.
...
6
Posted on 6/17/26 at 1:42 pm to Night Vision
It was Saddam. Hidden in plain sight all this time.
We should have bombed California.
We should have bombed California.
This post was edited on 6/17/26 at 1:42 pm
Posted on 6/17/26 at 1:54 pm to PsychTiger
quote:
We still can. Focus the San Andreas fault and Cali can shed the liberal coastal areas while leaving a large portion of the rest of the state intact.
Yeah, but we all know how this works nowadays. If we bomb it, we have to fix it, even if it was a shithole before.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:04 pm to Sus-Scrofa
Not if it all falls into the Pacific Ocean.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:06 pm to Night Vision
quote:
No further information about the employee is known.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:14 pm to Night Vision
There were no records or accounting for this material?
No one knew where it was or that it was missing?
No one knew where it was or that it was missing?
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:23 pm to Night Vision
This reads like some illegal immigrant dumping a load of garbage in the nearest water source instead of driving to the dump. Be curious to know what level of waste this is. Can cost millions per ton to dispose the high level stuff. Spend a million bucks.... stuff it in a locker..... spend a million bucks... stuff it in a locker. Easy choice if you have no morals.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:25 pm to PeleofAnalytics
Reminds me of how our Congress works.
quote:
Steal a million bucks.... stuff it in a locker..... steal a million bucks... stuff it in a locker. Easy choice if you have no morals.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:25 pm to Sus-Scrofa
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:28 pm to PeleofAnalytics
quote:
Be curious to know what level of waste this is. Can cost millions per ton to dispose the high level stuff.
quote:
Most of the items were radioactive isotopes known as “check sources” that are used to calibrate devices like a Geiger counter.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:29 pm to Night Vision
quote:
"It was a rogue situation by a rogue employee that we’re trying to get to the bottom of,” Bale said at an advisory committee meeting,
A Director of Operations should know better than to end a sentence with a preposition.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:41 pm to PeleofAnalytics
quote:
Be curious to know what level of waste this is.
It's probably all low level NORM sources/standards. They're typically diluted and then used for instrument calibration.
Yada yada, you get more radiation going through airport security.
eta: The company doing the remediation (at least used to) subcontract their samples to Port Allen for radiochemical analysis.
This post was edited on 6/17/26 at 2:50 pm
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:43 pm to Night Vision
I bet the employee is Asian.
Posted on 6/17/26 at 2:47 pm to Fratigerguy
quote:
Most of the items were radioactive isotopes known as “check sources” that are used to calibrate devices like a Geiger counter.
Sounds low but I am definitely far from expert
Posted on 6/18/26 at 6:11 am to PeleofAnalytics
Posted on 6/18/26 at 7:44 am to Night Vision
Company probably got caught trying to set up an in-house lab to save a buck. Then decided to blame it on an anonymous rogue employee instead of admitting it was guilty of contract violations.
From the inspection report.
Looks like Envirochem was going to set up a lab in there and didn't. Then they left it there because it's expensive to dispose of. Envirochem goes out of business/gets bought and the logs are lost due to shitty record keeping.
The lab I worked at found a bunch of these type of check sources during demo of an old trailer. They found out that the lazy arse Radiation Safety guy was keeping the sources in a bucket in his office trailer because it was too much work to get them out of the cabinet everytime.
Eta: Or an even simpler explanation. These standards were expired and instead of paying to dispose of them they tried to save a buck by shoving them in a cabinet.
Eta2: These are also Alpha and Beta standards. Not high gamma emitters. So as long as you don't drink it, it's mostly harmless.
From the inspection report.
quote:
2017: Envirochem, a subcontractor to a Navy contractor,
received permission for storage of materials related to HPNS
project work
Looks like Envirochem was going to set up a lab in there and didn't. Then they left it there because it's expensive to dispose of. Envirochem goes out of business/gets bought and the logs are lost due to shitty record keeping.
The lab I worked at found a bunch of these type of check sources during demo of an old trailer. They found out that the lazy arse Radiation Safety guy was keeping the sources in a bucket in his office trailer because it was too much work to get them out of the cabinet everytime.
Eta: Or an even simpler explanation. These standards were expired and instead of paying to dispose of them they tried to save a buck by shoving them in a cabinet.
Eta2: These are also Alpha and Beta standards. Not high gamma emitters. So as long as you don't drink it, it's mostly harmless.
This post was edited on 6/18/26 at 8:10 am
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