HomeTop StoriesElevated radiation levels found at Albany Bulb, report said

Elevated radiation levels found at Albany Bulb, report said

ALBANY – An environmental report says elevated radiation levels were found at Albany Bulb, an East Bay Park developed on a former landfill.

Now some who use the park are concerned, like GiGi Valdes.

Valdes has been visiting Albany Bulb for years. She gets some exercise, fresh air and opportunities to let her dogs burn off some energy. It was one of her favorite ways to leave the house until she heard about elevated radiation levels.

“It’s always in the back of my mind,” Valdes said. “I haven’t come for a while, but it’s difficult to stay indoors. You want to get out into nature.”

Albany Bulb was created in the 1960s by filling parts of the bay with landfills, and was used as a landfill until the 1980s.

The state ordered the testing after documents showed that a former chemical plant in Richmond dumped tons of waste around the site between 1960 and 1971.

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Tests have found ten areas in the park with elevated radiation levels. Valdes said she didn’t know how to move forward after hearing the news, but she temporarily changed her habits.

“I think there is a lot of lack of information and not enough information being put out to inform the public about safety,” Valdes said.

When UC Berkeley professor and nuclear engineer Kai Vetter heard about the radiation, he wasn’t surprised. He said radioactivity is common.

“Wherever we go in our world, you will find radioactivity,” Vetter said. “All objects in our world are radioactive to some degree, that’s just the nature of the world we live in.”

Vetter believes that Albany Bulb has experienced similar levels of radiation since its inception, but even in the areas with the highest levels, the amount of radiation is not extreme.

“For example, if you go to Denver, Denver, Colorado, you will find about the same level of radioactivity as at the highest point of Albany Bulb,” Vetter said, further explaining that radiation occurs naturally because of the mountains surrounding it. the city.

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Vetter said there are no adverse health effects based on radiation levels reported in the park.

“So that’s why people should continue to enjoy Albany Bulb,” Vetter concluded.

The City of Albany said, “The city does not have enough information from the report on that study to draw specific conclusions about public health risks. The next round of research will include soil sampling and shallow subsurface measurements that will help inform public risk levels. On Based on the results of the gamma walkover study, the city is not currently aware of the need to take additional measures to protect health and safety.

Valdes is still cautious and wants to hear more about the results and whether they plan to reduce radiation.

“It would be nice if they could tell people what they are doing to really restore balance to nature and to people’s health,” she said.

The City of Albany said they are actively taking next steps, with guidance from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.

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