{"id":722,"date":"2026-06-17T21:32:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=722"},"modified":"2026-06-17T21:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T21:32:49","slug":"rogue-employee-accused-of-hiding-uranium-sample-at-infamous-sf-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfranciscomovingguide.com\/?p=722","title":{"rendered":"‘Rogue employee’ accused of hiding uranium sample at infamous SF site"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A former employee of a U.S. Navy subcontractor is suspected of bringing hundreds of radiological items and chemical waste into Hunters Point without the knowledge of government officials, according to new details released by the Navy.\u00a0<\/p>

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The Navy first reported in May that \u201cunauthorized\u201d material was found in a cabinet at the Hunters Point shipyard on April 8.<\/p><\/div>

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The individual suspected of bringing in the material was an employee of RSI Entech, a subcontractor for the Navy hired to help remediate the area.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

\u201cIt was a rogue situation by a rogue employee that we\u2019re trying to get to the bottom of,\u201d Jeff Bale, director of operations at RSI Entech, said at the citizens advisory committee meeting on Monday.<\/p><\/div>

About 200 radiological items, including uranium and thorium samples, along with 70 jars of various chemicals, were discovered in a locked cabinet on the superfund site, according to Michael Pound, the Navy\u2019s environmental coordinator for the area. The materials were discovered in a 4,000-square-foot annex Building 400A.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

\u201cI can just say that they did not have authorization to have those materials in that building,\u201d Pound said.<\/p><\/div>

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Many of the radiological items were described by Bale as \u201ccheck sources,\u201d or small samples of radioactive isotopes that can be used to calibrate machinery such as a Geiger counter. These samples can be bought online without regulatory oversight. It\u2019s unclear if all the radiological items found were used as check sources. The chemical waste included sulfuric acid.<\/p><\/div>

Bale said they believe the items were brought into the building between 2019 and 2022 by an employee of Navy subcontractor Envirachem, which was acquired by RSI Entech in 2023. The individual is no longer employed by RSI Entech.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cAt the time of this purchase, this 400A area was not disclosed to us,\u201d Bale said at the meeting.<\/p><\/div>

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According to an update released by the Navy, there was \u201cno health or environmental concern identified\u201d related to the materials. The area has been deemed \u201csecured\u201d and \u201cradiologically controlled,\u201d pending surveys, Monday\u2019s said.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

Despite the Navy\u2019s assurances the area is secured, the advisory meeting on Monday became sometimes contentious. Both committee members and the public asked pointed questions about why the Navy was unaware of these materials for so long and why RSI Entech is leading the cleanup when its \u201crogue employee\u201d was suspected of bringing in the materials.\u00a0<\/p>

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Pound said Environmental Protection Agency officials and the naval officer in charge of construction make trips to the area to oversee the work. He also said RSI Entech was \u201ctransparent\u201d about discovering the material and is working \u201ccollaboratively\u201d with the EPA.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>

The employee was not named, and Bale confirmed they no longer worked for RSI Entech. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and EPA\u2019s Criminal Investigation Division are now investigating if the employee broke any laws, according to Pound.<\/p><\/div>

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Malik Seneferu, a member of the citizens advisory committee and part of the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists community, said he had hoped for more \u201cclarity\u201d during the presentation.<\/p><\/div>

\u201cOne thing about the Navy is they\u2019ve never had too much respect for civilians,\u201d Seneferu, a lifelong Bayview Hunters Point resident, told SFGATE. \u201cSo trying to get information out of the Navy is like trying to get water out of a stone.\u201d<\/p><\/div>

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