JAKARTA - Two containers of footwear products from Indonesia were refused entry to the United States (US) because they were suspected of being exposed to the Cesium-137 (Cs-137) radionuclide. This finding was first identified by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Head of the Division of Diplomacy and Communication of the Cs-137 Task Force, Bara Krishna Hasibuan, revealed that the two footwear containers had been returned to Indonesia.
Bara said the footwear product came from a company in the Cikande area, Serang, Banten, which is located about 5 kilometers from the source of Cs-137 contamination, which is a facility owned by PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT).
"There are two suspected containers of Cs-137 that have been returned to Indonesia. The footwear products come from a footwear industry company located also in Cikande, but outside the industrial area with a radius of 5 km from the source of the Cs-137 contamination," he said at a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs Office, Jakarta, Wednesday, November 12.
Bara said, the first container had arrived in Indonesia about a month ago, but the producer had not yet processed it so that no inspection had been carried out. Meanwhile, the second container arrived on October 29, 2025 with a notification of the alleged contamination of Cs-137.
Furthermore, Bara said that the results of the examination from the second container did not find any contamination on the surface so it was safe to store at the port.
"Currently, a test on footwear products is being carried out on the container, which is a footwear product for footwear carried out by BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency)," he said.
Bara said the initial findings of the alleged contamination of footwear products from Cikande occurred almost simultaneously with the findings of Cs-137 radiation in shrimp and cloves some time ago.
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"Initially, the possibility of contamination occurred at the same time, at the same time (with shrimp and cloves). It looks like it's May," he said.
When asked about the identity of the footwear manufacturer, Bara did not mention the name directly. He only gave the initials.
"The initials are NM," said Bara.
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