Sponsor MessageBecome a KQED sponsor
upper waypoint
The Bay

When the Military Tested a Biological Weapon in SF

Ericka Cruz Guevarra
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

Edward Nevin III stands in his home in Petaluma on Nov. 4, 2025. His great-grandfather, Edward J. Nevin, is tied to the 1950 Operation Sea‑Spray experiment in San Francisco Bay, in which the U.S. Navy released bacteria over the city. This secret test later led to legal action by the Nevin family. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Today, we bring you an episode from our friends at Bay Curious about a secret biological weapons test — in San Francisco. 75 years ago, the U.S. military sprayed bacteria over the city. The test team thought it was harmless, but several people got sick and one person died. KQED’s Katherine Monahan reports on the history and impacts of this operation on one man’s family. 

Links:


Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Player sponsored by