Deputy Minister Of Environment Says Three Factories Closed Closed Near PT BMS Before Cs-137 Contaminated Shrimp Case Revealed

Deputy Minister of Environment Diaz Hendropriyono (photo: Theresia Agatha/VOI)

Deputy Minister Of Environment Says Three Factories Closed Closed Near PT BMS Before Cs-137 Contaminated Shrimp Case Revealed

Deputy Minister of Environment/Deputy Head of the Environmental Control Agency (LH) Diaz Hendropriyono revealed that his party had closed three metal smelting factories near PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS), long before the case of frozen shrimp was contaminated with cesium radioactive isotopes alias Cs-137.

Meanwhile, PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS) is a shrimp processing company from Serang, Banten, which exports its products to the United States (US).

However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that the product sent by the Indonesian company was detected as containing Cesium-137.

According to Diaz, the three factories have been closed for not complying with government regulations.

"Beberapa bulan lalu sebenarnya di daerah dekat juga, kami sudah menutup tiga pabrik pelebuhan metal tidak memenuhi atau tidak mengikuti standar berlaku," ujar Diaz di Jakarta, Jumat, 22 Agustus.

"There is one factory that has a furnace of seven, but only three pipes. There is a metal smelting factory that does not manage the lag. There is even a metal smelting factory in the area that also has a furnace, but it doesn't have a neglected at all. So, things like that, right, cause air pollution," he added.

Diaz assessed that his party used drone drones to monitor this.

"Because of the furnace, the burning didn't go through the process. It just came out into the air and fortunately we have a Gakkum team that is monitoring it. Using drones, we saw a type of vegetative smoke coming out without going through the opposing. From there, we immediately sealed it," Diaz explained.

Diaz emphasized that the contamination was a very serious case. Thus, his party together with the Nuclear Energy Supervisory Agency (Bapeten) are investigating the case.

"Our team has gone to the field for investigation because we consider this contamination to be very serious, especially since the FDA has stepped in," he explained.

Previously, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers not to consume the Great Value frozen shrimp products sold at Walmart.

The warning came after US customs authorities detected contamination of the Cesium-137 (Cs-137) radioactive isotopic in containers of shrimp shipments originating from Indonesia.

The FDA said contamination was detected by Customs and US Border Protection (CBP) at four main ports, namely Los Angeles, Houston, airway and Miami. The container, which tested positive for Cs-137, was immediately rejected entry into the United States.

Although the FDA confirmed that there has been no confirmation of direct contamination of commercial shrimp products in the US market, the agency said it is likely that the product has been prepared, packaged or stored in an unhygienic condition that opens up opportunities for exposure to radioactive isotopes.

"If you have just bought a raw frozen shrimp from Walmart according to this description, throw it away. Don't eat or serve this product," the FDA wrote in a statement, quoted from the official fda.gov website, Wednesday, August 20.

According to the FDA, although exposure to Cs-137 is limited, it can increase the risk of cancer due to DNA damage in body cells. The FDA assesses that although isotopic levels are detected to be still below the level of concern, product withdrawals are carried out to avoid exposure to low doses that can be accumulated in the long term.