Ruined, Rested, and Ready for Re-Development

Do you protectors of the environment wonder, as I do, what will become of contaminated land - especially former military base, facilities where bombs were made, tested, and stored, federal facilities with nuclear reactors, etc?
The land of the 1960s era weaponry of my youth is now abandoned, maybe partially cleaned up, and in the market for "re-purposing." (Don't you love that word? It's so hopeful, like something dead could live again.)
The problem is...land is often marginally remediated by the military or government owner, and a great debate exists about what is "clean enough" to use and specifically build housing upon.
Does a little radioactivity in the ground really hurt anybody? If left-over plutonium is "dust in the wind," do you care?
Of course, if soil is deeply affected, so is groundwater - another complication that, to me, is the greater problem. Soil seems easier to clean than far-reaching underground hydrology involving wells and aquifers.
This week I've been reading about a company-perhaps there is more than one- that assumes risk for huge, grossly contaminated properties and does some clean up, then sells the developed land at great profit. The monetary figures involved in development seem mind-boggling (as does and is the sale price to a new owner); but interestingly...the properties sell to the remediation company for practically NOTHING! Kind of gift from the city or owner! (Why?)
Anyway, a private development company such as this can buy all over the world making huge profits and returning once and perhaps always toxic land to public use.
I urge you to learn about this turn-over of ruined land and help ask the hard question: When do we know these sites are safe? Who decides? and is a seriously careful and prudent standard applied as a TRUE PUBLIC SAFEGUARD?
Then, ask why our government is putting our environmental safety in the hands of a private company rather than personally seeing that clean is completely done?
To re-state what's really bothering me...It's as if the government has given up, quit, and now the land is a GIVE-AWAY!
One of my sacred watchwords in life is: Be careful when huge sums of money, politics, the law, and mucho science are involved. The average citizen will not notice or understand what the profiteers do and how they cover their actions from a legal standpoint. A bomb could sail through the legal loopholes (and has) while citizens sleep a peaceful sleep filled with patriots' dreams!
We have a naval air base here in Dallas with a seemingly uncertain future. The time to continue talking about thorough remediation of soil and water - the job is not finished yet - is NOW. Not after we read in the DMN that an international company owns city land and is building a war-themed Six Flags or my dream retirement village by a lake spiked with fuels and metals.