Footwear Exports Contaminated With Cesium 137 Found in US
The United States has recently identified radioactive cesium-137 contamination in Indonesian footwear exports, marking an expansion of products affected by radiation. This latest development adds footwear to a growing list, which previously included exports such as shrimp and cloves, all flagged for similar concerns by US authorities.
Indonesian officials in Jakarta confirmed on Wednesday that two containers of footwear, suspected of being contaminated with radioactive cesium-137, were recently rejected and returned by the US. An official from the government task force investigating these radiation findings disclosed that the footwear originated from a company situated in close proximity to a known radiation leak site in western Java.
Authorities have been actively engaged in remediation efforts within an industrial park where the contamination is believed to have originated. Investigations suggest that a small steel company operating within this park likely smelted scrap metal mixed with cesium, subsequently contaminating various neighboring factories. This industrial park has been at the center of previous contamination concerns, notably when the US earlier flagged Indonesian shrimp exports from a company located within the same affected area.
