Bayview Hunters Point residents urge halt to Lennar work, demand testing and public hearing

Dozens of Bayview Hunters Point residents told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on June 5, 2007, that dust from redevelopment activity at the Hunters Point shipyard is making people sick and must be stopped until independent testing and a public hearing occur.

Residents, community organizers and faith leaders packed the board chamber during public comment to describe recurring nosebleeds, new-onset asthma, hospitalizations and other illnesses they say began after excavation and demolition work began at the site. Several speakers asked the board to order air- and health-testing, to halt construction until monitors and controls are verified, and to hold a formal hearing with state and federal agencies.

Community members said the problem is widespread and urgent. Rachel Davis, who said she lives next to the construction site, described ongoing symptoms in her toddler: "I am horrified that one day my daughter will have cancer because of what my children are being exposed to in Hunters Point."…