JAKARTA: Two containers of Indonesian-made footwear were returned by the United States due to suspected radioactive contamination, according to Indonesia’s nuclear contamination response task force.
The case marks the latest in a string of export rejections linked to radiation alerts, with previous incidents involving shrimp and spices, raising concerns about oversight of scrap metal imports and monitoring systems at industrial sites.
Bara Krishna Hasibuan, head of diplomacy and communications for the Cs-137 hazard response task force, said the returned containers originated from a footwear manufacturer in the Cikande industrial area of Banten, located around 5km from the source of a previously confirmed Cs-137 contamination at PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT).
“Two containers suspected of Cs-137 [contamination] were returned to Indonesia. The footwear products came from a company operating in Cikande, near the contamination source,” Bara said at a press conference held at the Office of the Coordinating Food Minister on Wednesday (Nov 12), as quoted by Kompas.
The first container reportedly arrived in Indonesia a month earlier, while the second arrived on Oct 29 with a contamination alert from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Bara said the footwear incident emerged around the same time as earlier discoveries of Cs-137 contamination in Indonesian shrimp and clove, cases that triggered import restrictions by US authorities.
The government has sought to reassure the public and trading partners that the issue has been contained. The Industry Ministry’s director general for chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries (IKFT), Taufik Bawazier, said a coordinated decontamination at the affected footwear plant had been completed.
“Oh, that’s already resolved, it’s done. Nikomas Gemilang, right? There’s already a letter from Bapeten confirming clearance; no problem,” said Taufik on Wednesday, as quoted by Detik.
PT Nikomas Gemilang is a major footwear manufacturer in Serang, Banten, known for making shoes for global brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma. Taufik said its export activities remained unaffected.
Separately, the ministry’s director general for metal, machinery, transportation equipment and electronics, Setia Diarta, revealed during a hearing with House of Representatives Commission VII on Monday, that even before the shrimp case drew public attention, Dutch customs had detected Cs-137 contamination in sneakers shipped from Indonesia.
The Netherlands’ Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS), he said, had confirmed the finding, reporting that several boxes of shoes showed radiation levels of up to 110 nanosieverts per hour (nSv/h), well above normal background levels of around 20 nSv/h.
A string of radioactive alerts The US FDA issued an “import alert” on shrimp products from Indonesia in mid-August after detecting Cs-137 contamination in shipments from PT BMS, operating inside the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate.
The alert was followed by a second notice in September after radioactive traces were found in clove exported by PT Natural Java Spice, based in Surabaya.
The FDA also placed several Indonesian exporters on “red” and “yellow” lists, categories for confirmed and potential contamination sources.
An on-site inspection involving ministerial officials, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) later identified PMT as the source of the contamination.
The radiation originated from a steel-melting furnace at the company’s facility. Laboratory analysis confirmed that the isotopes found in affected products matched those from PMT’s production residue.
According to Setia, 22 production facilities in Cikande have been cleared since the decontamination process by the task force began on Sept 12, while work continues at 12 other contaminated sites outside the industrial complex.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported that 1,561 individuals, comprising workers of BMS and PMT as well as residents, have been tested for radiation. Nine tested positive for Cs-137 exposure and have received medical treatment before returning to their homes.
Health monitoring continues in the affected areas. Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita later confirmed that a total of 24 companies previously thought to be potentially exposed to Cs-137 had been cleared.
“The radioactive issue is now resolved. We’ve received confirmation from Bapeten, and some of the factories are already back in operation,” he said on Wednesday, as quoted by Kumparan.
Calls for better detection Industry players warn that a temporary halt of scrap metal imports imposed by the Environment Ministry could disrupt production and exports.
Setia Diarta of the Industry Ministry stressed that scrap metal remained an essential raw material for the steel industry as was standard practice worldwide.
“Many smelters and steel producers still rely on it. Without mixing scrap metal into production, their costs could rise by around 20 per cent, which would further reduce their competitiveness,” he said.
Harry Warganegara, executive director of the Indonesian Iron and Steel Association, said smelters had been instructed to install radiation portal monitors (RPM) before resuming scrap imports.
However, he argued that the detectors should instead be placed at ports of entry under customs supervision to prevent contaminated material from entering the country.
“We were given three months to install the devices, and we’re ready to comply,” Harry said on Wednesday during a hearing with House Commission VII.
“Ideally, the detectors should be at the border, so any radioactive scrap can be detected early and re-exported.”
He warned that waiting until all detectors were installed before allowing imports could halt production.
“That means production will stop in the meantime. The impact won’t only hit companies, but also the workers,” he said.
Harry added that, while customs already had radiation scanners at Tanjung Priok Port, coverage remained limited and not all ports used scanners continuously.
“Scrap doesn’t only come through Priok, other ports may still lack the equipment,” he said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
