Protecting Our Food Table, Barantin Destroys 5.7 Tons Of Contaminated Shrimp Cesium-137

Two officers using complete personal protective equipment (PPE) carried out destruction of shrimp contaminated with Cesium-137 BETWEEN/HO-Humas Barantin

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Quarantine Agency (Barantin) confirmed that the destruction of 5.7 tons of shrimp in 494 cardboard boxes contaminated with Cesium-137 radioactive substances is an important step to maintain national food security.

Director of Fish Quarantine Action, Barantin Akhmad Alfaraby, said that the destruction carried out with the Cesium-137 Handling Task Force was proof of the government's seriousness in protecting the public from the risk of exposure to dangerous materials.

"This extermination activity is a form of Barantin's commitment to guarding food security," said Alfaraby in a statement in Jakarta, Antara, Sunday, November 16.

Barantin emphasized that this step was taken to ensure that every food commodity in circulation remains safe, healthy, and does not pose a risk to the community or the environment.

The shrimp products that were destroyed were the findings of a joint examination with the Cesium-137 Task Force on Saturday (15/11).

A total of 494 cardboard boxes containing contaminated shrimp were destroyed on the basis of the recommendations of Barantin and the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten), said Alfaraby.

The destruction was carried out in an integrated manner with the Ministry of Environment/Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), Bapeten, and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) through the Cesium-137 Task Force. The process took place at the PT Prasadha Pamunah Waste Industri (PPLI) facility, Bogor.

Deputy for Control of Pollution and Environmental Damage KLH/BPLH, Ratio Ridho Sani, explained that the destruction used a vertical-stocker type incinerator equipped with Air Emission Control Emission and Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) equipment.

"Incineration results are processed further, then placed on timbus (landfill) land," said Rasio.

He emphasized that the entire process was carried out with strict radiation and environmental security protocols. "One time the destruction process takes four hours. Today we destroyed one ton, then we will continue," he said.