Earlier this NFL season, fans spent weeks debating whether an electric substation near the San Francisco 49ers’ practice facility was causing injuries. Medical experts and engineers dismissed the idea. There is no credible scientific evidence linking normal electromagnetic field exposure to torn ligaments or muscle injuries.
That was pseudoscience.
Now, as Indiana lawmakers advance a framework to potentially bring the Chicago Bears to a stadium site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, a different conversation deserves attention — one grounded in documented environmental history, not internet speculation.
The Wolf Lake corridor sits near the former Hammond Depot, a federally licensed storage facility that handled radioactive materials, including thorium compounds regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal found at low levels in soil, rocks, water and plants. Almost all naturally occurring thorium exists as thorium-232, thorium-230, or thorium-228. Thorium-232 has an extremely long half-life — about 14 billion years — meaning it decays very slowly and remains in the environment for geologic time.
Thorium releases radiation as it decays, including alpha particles, beta particles and gamma radiation. Alpha particles cannot penetrate human skin, and beta particles are usually absorbed in the skin. Gamma radiation, however, can penetrate the body. Thorium also decays into radium, which can produce radon gas.
The EPA notes that everyone is exposed to small amounts of thorium naturally in air, food and water. In most cases, those background levels do not pose a health hazard. Higher exposure risks occur when thorium dust is inhaled or ingested in elevated concentrations, particularly near industrial sites that mined, milled or manufactured thorium products.
Studies of workers exposed to thorium dust have shown increased risks of lung disease and certain cancers. Thorium that enters the body can lodge in the lungs or bones and remain for long periods.
This context does not mean a proposed stadium site near Wolf Lake is unsafe.
But it does mean environmental due diligence must be specific and transparent.
Indiana officials have described the current agreement with the Bears as contingent on “site due diligence proceeding smoothly.” Preliminary drilling was reported in December near Wolf Lake, though public details about the scope of testing have not been released.
Stadium construction involves large-scale excavation, soil movement and drainage modification. In areas with documented radioactive materials history, responsible planning typically includes soil sampling and evaluation against federal standards. EPA guidance at certain remediation sites has used 5 picoCuries per gram of radium in soil as a protective cleanup benchmark for the top 15 centimeters of soil. The EPA also sets a drinking water standard of 15 picoCuries per liter for alpha particle activity, which includes thorium.
Fans deserve to understand what they are signing up for long term. A stadium would operate for decades. Families would gather there, and workers would spend seasons on site.
The lesson from the 49ers substation debate is clear: speculation spreads quickly. The best way to prevent misinformation is clear, science-based communication early.
If environmental testing confirms the Wolf Lake site meets unrestricted-use standards, publishing those findings will strengthen public confidence. If further review is ongoing, outlining the process will help ensure that science — not silence, and not pseudoscience — guides the conversation.
