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View all search resultsPolice probe Serang radioactive contamination after US shrimp alert
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Personnel of National Police's bomb squad (Gegana) decontaminate a vehicle believed to be contaminated by Cesium-137 (Cs-137) at the Cikande Industrial Estate in Serang, Banten, on Oct. 7, 2025. (Antara/Angga Budhiyanto)
T
he National Police have launched a criminal investigation into the radioactive contamination of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) at the Cikande Industrial Estate in Serang, Banten, after traces of the substance were detected in shrimp exported to the United States.
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said earlier this week that the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) had upgraded the case status from preliminary inquiry to full investigation.
In August, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public advisory urging consumers, distributors and retailers in the US not to eat, sell or serve frozen shrimp processed by local seafood company PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, which was found to contain Cs-137.
Cs-137 is a man-made radioactive isotope produced through nuclear fission. Prolonged or high exposure can cause severe burns, acute radiation sickness, increased cancer risk and may even be fatal.
Minister Hanif said investigators were tracing two possible sources of the contamination: imported scrap metal that may have contained radioactive residue, and potential leaks from the commercial use of Cs-137.
“These two possibilities are being examined very seriously by Bareskrim, and hopefully we can reach a precise conclusion soon,” he was quoted by Antara as saying, adding that the investigation also involved the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (BAPETEN).
Read also: Govt rushes to clean up cesium-137 spill in Banten
