In Episode 2 of "Exposed" from our friends at San Francisco Public Press, we explore a little-known chapter in San Francisco's nuclear era: human experiments carried out to assess the health effects of radiation. Scientists from the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, located at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, designed and executed at least 24 experiments that involved gathering data from humans — in some cases, injecting test subjects with radioisotopes or having them ingest fluids laced with trace amounts of radioactive materials. Even football players from the San Francisco 49ers were enrolled as test subjects in these so-called tracer studies.

We hear from military veterans who were sent on a mysterious mission to spread radioactive substances onto rooftops at an Army base near Pittsburg, Calif., for an experiment the radiation lab played a role in designing. Some recount experiences of witnessing nuclear bomb blasts in the Nevada desert. We also examine a national pattern of human radiation experiments revealed by Eileen Welsome, the author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation, who shined a light on similar practices conducted by government facilities, hospitals and other institutions. This miniseries first aired on Making Contact in February 2025.

Featuring:

Eldridge Jones, served in the military and was part of Operation Stoneman | Merle Votaw, a Navy veteran who participated in Operation Stoneman II | Eileen Welsome, author of "Plutonium Files" | Holly Barker, Anthropologist and professor at the University of Washington who studied the Marshall Islands.

Credits:

San Francisco Public Press:

• Reporting: Chris Roberts and Rebecca Bowe
• Editing: Michael Stoll and Liz Enochs
• Research Editing: Ambika Kandasamy
• Web Design: John Angelico
• Copy Editing: Kurt Aguilar, Michele Anderson and Richard Knee
• Archival Research and Illustration: Stacey Carter
• Audio Editing: Liana Wilcox, Mel Baker and Megan Maurer
• Sound Gathering: Justin Benttinen
• Photography: Sharon Wickham, Yesica Prado and Guillermo Hernandez
• Graphic Design: Reid Brown
• Fact Checking: Dani Solakian and Ali Hanks
• Proofreading: Lila LaHood, Noah Arroyo, Zhe Wu and Sylvie Sturm
• Special thanks to Alastair Gee and Danielle Renwick at The Guardian and Ben Trefny at KALW Public Radio, and to Laura Wenus and Amy Pyle

Making Contact:

• Host: Salima Hamirani
• Producers: Anita Johnson, Salima Hamirani, Amy Gastelum, and Lucy Kang
• Executive Director: Jina Chung
• Editor: Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong
• Engineer: Jeff Emtman
• Digital Media Marketing: Lissa Deonorain

Music Credits:

Midday, by the Blue Dot Sessions | Sweet Leilani, by Bing Crosby

Learn More:

[Exposed full investigation | Exposed Part 2

Making Contact is an award-winning, nationally syndicated radio show and podcast featuring narrative storytelling and thought-provoking interviews. We cover the most urgent issues of our time and the people on the ground building a more just world.