The Jan. 20 Chronicle article, “Lag in southeast renewal blamed on stadium quest,” fails to acknowledge that the lag in advancement of the Bayview Hunters Point Redevelopment Project stems not from too much or too little oversight by city government officials but from the filing of a lawsuit by the Defend Bayview Hunters Point Coalition to halt the controversial project. The Candlestick Point activity node is one component of the Bayview plan, and efforts to site a stadium and housing along the South Basin region of the plan cannot go forward until the legal issues have been settled.

As a former member of the Restoration Advisory Board of the Hunters Point Shipyard and founding chair of its Radiological Subcommittee, I am in possession of the 1997 reports of the Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry which identify that Parcel E of the Hunters Point Shipyard is the largest and most toxic land parcel at the former naval base and the site of greatest potential for completed human exposure to a multitude of soil contaminants including lead, pesticides, arsenic and radionuclides.

As a contributor to the Historical Radiological Assessment, I participated in the publication of extensive documentation of the use of general radiological materials at the shipyard and maps which identify that the Parcel E shoreline, where the stadium has been proposed, is radiation contaminated due to the Navy’s disposal of radioluminescent devices in the Bay fill and 46-acre toxic industrial landfill.

While I fully support efforts by city officials to keep the San Francisco 49ers in the city, I am skeptical that Parcel E can be cleaned to residential standards in keeping with the Proposition P voter mandate of 2000. I do not believe residential development can be safely sited on Parcel E.

Bay View Health and Environmental Science Editor Dr. Sumchai may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (415) 835-4763.

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