Alleged radioactive exposure in Cikande originating from the Philippines

Djakarta – Contamination of the radioactive substance Cesium-137 in Cikande, Banten, apparently comes from the Philippines. There are steel imports from the Philippines that contain these hazardous substances. This information was conveyed by the Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian National Assembly, Eddy Soeparno. He initially said that as far as radioactive pollution is concerned, there must be strong monitoring. “We have said from the beginning that it is indeed a matter of supervision which is one of the coordination points that we need to strengthen, especially when we talk about supervision of imported goods,” said Eddy Soeparno on Monday (13/10) at the parliament complex, Senayan, Central Jakarta. SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT Eddy said that much of the production carried out in Indonesia requires imported materials. He said the radioactive contamination in Cikande came from steel imported from the Philippines. “As we know, we have to import a lot of production materials from abroad. Therefore, we hope that there will be stricter supervision,” said the PAN deputy commissioner. “Because the indications that yesterday’s radioactive cases occurred were from the import of steel from abroad, if I’m not mistaken, it was from the Philippines. Please correct me if I’m wrong,” he added. Eddy said imports to Indonesia must be monitored with serious attention. This member of Commission XII DPR RI stated that radioactive pollution has a long-term impact on health. “I think it needs serious attention, import gates should be tightened, inspections should also be tightened. Especially to prevent this problem from happening, because radioactivity is a very serious thing, has an impact on health and has an impact on people’s trust in Indonesian products that we will export,” he said. Philippines to investigate Philippine authorities will investigate the source of shipping containers containing zinc powder contaminated with radioactive material, which impacted nine people in Indonesia. “At this time, it is likely to be an isolated case of contamination with no widespread danger to the wider community,” Science and Technology Minister Renato Solidum Jr. said in a brief message on October 18, reported by The Straits Times, Saturday (18/10/2025). He said the containers that will be returned to the Philippines at the end of October have not been opened. Apart from that, no radiation can be detected outside of it. “There is no risk to the crew,” he added. “Upon arrival, these containers will be inspected and returned to a secure warehouse,” he said. The container was sent to Indonesia by a Chinese trading company with offices in the Philippines. This was revealed by someone who is aware of the situation but asked not to be named because he was discussing private information. Indonesia stopped importing scrap metal last week after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected small amounts of the radioactive material cesium-137 in frozen shrimp – and later cloves – shipped from Indonesia in August. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), exposure to this isotope can increase the risk of cancer. Cesium-137 can travel in the air under certain conditions. Case escalates to investigation It is known that the radioactive pollution case in Cikande escalated from investigation to investigation after the police carried out a series of investigations of various witnesses and findings in the field. The police and the Ministry of Environment are still sources of Cesium-137 contamination. “Regarding the resolution of this case from a legal perspective, the status was raised today by Bareskrim investigators from investigation to investigation,” Minister of the Environment, Hanif, said on Monday (13/10) in Cikande. Hanif said that his party was still investigating the source of radioactive contamination in the modern industrial area of ​​Cikande. His party focuses on investigating the source of the pollution, whether from iron waste or sewage leaks around the industrial area. (deck/rfs)