Indonesia has opened a criminal investigation into the suspected source of radioactive contamination, which has led to the recall of shrimp and spices exported to the United States, as well as sneakers sent to the Netherlands, the Indonesian authorities announced on Wednesday. The investigation is focutilized on a metal-processing facility situated at the Cikande Industrial Estate in Banten province on the island of Java. Investigators believe that the smelting company, PT Peter Metal Technology, is owned by a Chinese entity.
Bara Hasibuan, a spokesperson for the tquestion force overseeing the inquiry, stated, “The police have launched the criminal investigation.” The presence of caesium-137 (Cs-137) was first reported earlier this year, following a preliminary report submitted by Dutch authorities indicating traces of radiation found in shipping containers from Indonesia. This report highlighted that several boxes of sneakers were contaminated.
In August, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert advising consumers not to consume specific frozen shrimp imported from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, a company operating near the industrial estate under the name BMS Foods. This alert was issued after Cs-137 was detected in shipping containers arriving at US ports. Approximately 20 factories at the Cikande Industrial Estate have been affected, including those involved in shrimp processing and footwear manufacturing. Authorities reported that nine employees working at the industrial estate were exposed to Cs-137 and have since received treatment at a government hospital in Jakarta. All contaminated facilities in the area have undergone decontamination.
The Associated Press has been unable to locate contact information for PT Peter Metal Technology. The FDA has noted that, in the long term, repeated low-dose exposure to Cs-137 may increase health risks, but the levels identified in the affected Indonesian products do not pose an acute health risk. Indonesian authorities are facing difficulties in conducting their investigation, as the management of PT Peter Metal Technology, which produces steel rods from scrap metal, has reportedly returned to China. This information was shared by Setia Diarta, the Director General of the Metal, Machinery, Transportation Equipment, and Electronics at Indonesia’s Ministest of Industest.
Furthermore, Indonesian authorities are proactively working to prevent Cs-137-contaminated goods from entering the countest. Earlier this month, port authorities successfully halted the arrival of eight containers of contaminated zinc powder from Angola, which are currently being retained pfinishing completion of the administrative process for re-export.
This article utilized information from The Associated Press.
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