JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities have discovered traces of radioactivity at a clove farm on Sumatra island.
A government spokesperson confirmed the finding on Tuesday as Jakarta expanded its investigation into contamination incidents.
The United States Food and Drug Administration recently detected Caesium-137 in a clove sample from PT Natural Java Spice.
This followed the radioactive isotope’s detection in August in frozen shrimp from Indonesia.
The Indonesian government immediately launched an investigation into these findings.
Inspection teams visited a processing facility and a farm on Java island plus another farm on Sumatra.
Task force spokesperson Bara Hasibuan stated the team only found radioactive traces at the clove farm in Lampung, Sumatra.
He did not disclose further details about the specific radiation levels detected.
The government has banned the affected farm from selling its cloves as a preventive measure.
“Until there is a conclusive finding, we requested that the cloves from the farm are not being sold,“ Bara said.
Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency, known as Bapeten, is currently testing samples from the farm.
“We must determine the source, how come the cloves there are contaminated,“ he added.
This discovery follows earlier detection of Caesium-137 in at least 22 facilities at the Cikande industrial estate.
The industrial area is located approximately 60 kilometres west of Jakarta.
Authorities have tightened restrictions throughout the affected zone.
They are conducting inspections of vehicles for potential radioactive contamination.
The government has also suspended imports of scrap iron and steel.
Environment minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq announced the suspension in an Instagram post.
He stated imports would remain halted until monitoring systems for radioactive materials are fully strengthened.
Scrap metal is reportedly the source of the initial contamination.
The US FDA has banned products from the two Indonesian companies involved.
The agency said the ban would remain until companies demonstrate they’ve resolved contamination issues.
Starting late October, shrimp and spices from certain Indonesian regions will require import certification.
This new requirement addresses the risk of potential Caesium-137 contamination.
The FDA issued a recall in August after detecting the radioactive isotope in shrimp exported by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati.
The agency warned that long-term exposure to even low doses of Caesium-137 increases cancer risk.
This radioactive isotope is created through nuclear reactions.
It has various industrial, medical, and research applications worldwide. – AFP
