Banten: Cesium-137 contamination spreads with levels thousands of times higher than normal
Indonesian authorities have declared a state of emergency in Cikande after unprecedented levels of Cesium-137 were detected at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate. Nine workers were exposed to the radioactive isotope, while scores have families have been evacuated. The government has deployed special decontamination units and launched an investigation into the possible causes, which may be linked to scrap metal imports from the Philippines.
Banten (AsiaNews) – Cesium-137 contamination is worsening in Cikande, a town in Serang district, Banten province, about 70 kilometres from Jakarta.
Radiation levels 875,000 times higher than normal have been detected in the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate, triggering an unprecedented environmental and health emergency in Indonesia.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, radiation levels have reached 33,000 microsieverts per hour. The safety limit is set at 0.11 microsieverts per hour.
This unit of measurement describes the biological damage caused by radiation on an organism. Cesium-137 is a radioactive isotope formed as a byproduct of nuclear fission.
Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq described the situation as serious for the entire country and announced the creation of an inter-ministerial task force to manage the contamination.
“The government must act quickly and decisively to ensure that all sectors of life feel safe again,” Hanif said yesterday in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, the authorities are investigating the source of the contamination, which may be linked to scrap metal imported from the Philippines or industrial waste containing illegally disposed Cesium-137.
The radioactive leak may also be the result of metal smelting activities in the area, but the source of the contamination has not yet been identified.
So far, nine workers at the industrial estate have tested positive for exposure to Cesium-137 out of a total of 1,600 people screened. All are currently under medical observation and will receive specialised treatment from the Ministry of Health.
More than a hundred personnel have been mobilised for decontamination operations, including members of the Police Mobile Brigade’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit.
About 19 families, 53 people, have been moved from the “red zone”, and were not allowed to remove items from their homes due to the risk of radioactive contamination.
The minister said that tough measures will be taken, and no leniency will be shown to those responsible for the radioactive leak.
The Cikande crisis, which began after reports of radioactive shrimp exports, has already had repercussions on international trade – the United States suspended all shrimp imports from Indonesia, citing "serious concerns” over health.
This has set off alarm bells in the country’s fishing industry. According to former Minister of Public Enterprises Dahlan Iskan, at least one million workers are at risk of losing their jobs.
The United States accounts for approximately 70 per cent of Indonesia's shrimp export market, with an annual value of US$ 2.2 billion.
Contamination with the radioactive isotope cesium-137 has also been found in a clove plantation on the island of Sumatra, putting a halt to the sale of cloves.
“The United States is not wrong, but acted too hastily. Our government is not wrong either, but has been seen as slow to respond,” Iskan said.
Action is needed to restore confidence in international markets.
Indonesian authorities have confirmed that the priority is now to clean up the contaminated area and inspire renewed confidence in Indonesian products.
.png)
