Serang Regency Government Uses Sun Flower For Neutralization Of Radioactive Exposure, What Are The Benefits?

JAKARTA - The Serang Regency Government (Pemkab) is looking for sunflower seeds to be planted in the Cikande industrial area. This is done as an effort to overcome exposure to the cesium-137 radioactive substances that were previously detected in the area.

Previously, the Minister of Environment, Hanif Faisol Nurofik, had also asked the local community to secure sunlight to reduce radioactive exposure. This is because sunlight is known to absorb and reduce radioactive radiation in the ground.

Quoted from Virginia.edu, on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, sunlight is indeed one of the plants that can help overcome radioactive radiation. This can be done because the ability of solar flowers to absorb heavy metals and radioactive elements, such as uranium and cesium from soil and water.

"Sun flowers are hyper-accumulators, meaning they absorb metal from large amounts of soil," said Benjamin Blackman, assistant professor of biology at the University of Virginia.

This phenomenon is known as fitoremediation and sunlight has been used experimentally at the site of the nuclear disaster. Sunflower cleans up radioactive exposure naturally and does not damage the surrounding ecosystem.

The sun's flower is capable of absorbing heavy metals from contaminated soil in a completely natural and harmless way for the soil and ecosystems around it. They are called phytoremediators'', added Catie Kitrinos, which conducts genetic variational research on solar flower plants.

In overcoming exposure to radioactive substances, there are several ways that sunflowers work and things that must be considered, as follows.

1. Hyperaccumulation

As a hyperacculator plant, the sunflower has a special ability to accumulate heavy metals and radioactive pollutants in its network in significant quantities.

By absorbing and storing these radioactive substances, the sun's flowers play a role in the process of restoring land polluted by nuclear pollution, making them a natural cleaning.

2. Absorption is done through roots

Sunflower uses its roots to absorb water, nutrients, and minerals from the ground. If there are radioactive contaminants from the soil such as cesium 137 and strontium-90, the roots of the sun's flowers will absorb them in contact with nutrients.

3. Not for consumption

Sunflower is generally beneficial for health if consumed or extracted into various health products. However, it should be noted that this only applies to sunflowers that grow in a healthy environment.

If the sun flower that grows in the area is exposed to radioactive exposure, it is not recommended to be consumed. This is because the sun flower has absorbed dangerous substances, which if exposed to humans will endanger the health of the body.