Gamma Radiation Detected at Popular Bay Area Sculpture Park

Potentially cancerous radiation has been detected at a popular Bay Area landfill turned outdoor sculpture, according to a state investigation.

As first reported by the Los Angeles Times on Monday, the city of Albany ordered experts from technicians with Cabrera Services Inc. to survey for radioactive waste at the Albany Bulb, a former municipal landfill for construction waste now home to popular hiking trails and grounds scattered with sculptures. The investigation was spurred by the discovery of a 1980 archival document that indicated that a chemical plant dumped 11,000 of tons of waste in the site between 1960 and 1971. According to the report, the waste may have included toxic pesticides and potentially radioactive sludge produced by aluminum processing.

The report continues that Cabrera Services found high levels of gamma radiation in 10 areas on the city-owned section of the peninsula. Gamma radiation can easily penetrate the human body and harm tissue or organs, or even cause cancerous mutations to DNA. Albany has been recommended to conduct soil sampling in three areas where radioactive material is believed to be buried.

The municipal landfill closed forty years ago, leaving refuse—mostly metal, wood, and other scraps—beneath the earth. Artists have taken to unearthing the odd bits and reimagining them as sculptures; some, like a painted stone amphitheater, join the landscape.

It is currently unclear whether the park will remain accessible to the public, though California Department of Public Health (CDPH) officials said in a statement, as quoted by the LA Times, that the gamma radiation detected at the Albany Bulb presented a “low level of risk” to visitors.

“The survey results indicate that most of the site is consistent with normal background radiation levels, but 10 locations showed elevated readings,” a CDPH spokesperson said. “Our initial assessment shows that a person would have to spend approximately 20 hours on an elevated area to receive a dose equivalent to one dental X-ray.”