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View all search resultsFootwear latest radiation scare in export products
Suspected cesium contamination in exported footwear adds to a string of incidents tarnishing the “Made in Indonesia” brand and prompting industry representatives to demand better detection.
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Shoes for export are seen at a factory on Dec. 29, 2020, in Hanoi. (Reuters/Kham)
T
wo 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 5 kilometers 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, 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.
