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Nuclear agency finds radioactive substances in South Tangerang house
A team from the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency and the police has discovered illegally owned radioactive substances in a house in the Batan Indah housing complex in South Tangerang, Banten.
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Officers take a sample of soil suspected to be contaminated with radioactive substances at the Batan Indah housing complex in South Tangerang, Banten, on Feb. 16. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan )
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joint team from the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) and the National Police has discovered illegally owned radioactive substances in a house in the Batan Indah housing complex in South Tangerang, Banten.
“The radioactive sources contain caesium-137 and other radioactive isotopes,” Bapeten spokesperson Indra Gunawan said in a press release on Monday.
Indra said the team would further investigate the matter to ascertain whether the illegally owned substances were linked to the recent discovery of caesium-137 radioactive waste in the complex.
Bapeten first detected high levels of radiation in the Batan Indah complex during a routine check at the end of January. Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 8, a joint Bapeten and National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) team discovered several radioactive fragments in a vacant lot next to a volleyball court in the housing complex.
The fragments contained caesium-137, which is commonly used for industrial purposes.
“It could be a bright spot for the case [..]. Bapeten is committed to ensuring the safety and security of the community and the environment in this incident,” Indra said.
He added that the police’s crime investigation unit had secured evidence found in the house and put up police tape to support the further investigation. Police were also interviewing the owners of the house. (syk)
