By Andi Adam Faturahman
Copyright tempo
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – House Speaker Puan Maharani has assigned the House of Representatives’ Commission on the Environment and the Commission on Industry to supervise the radioactive shrimp case. The issue of Cesium 137 (Cs-137) radiation emerged from the Cikande industrial area in the municipality of Serang, Banten.According to Puan, the supervision is aimed at preventing a recurring incident from happening, not in Cikande nor other regions. “That’s why we are conducting closures,” said Puan at the parliament complex on Thursday, October 2, 2025.The issue of Cesium 137 contamination became a topic of discussion after the US Food and Drug Administration rejected frozen shrimp products from Indonesia. According to the agency, contaminated containers carrying frozen shrimp were detected upon entering the ports of Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami in the second week of August 2025.However, after the Indonesian government investigated the findings, it was confirmed that Cesium 137 did not originate from domestic shrimp products.As a preventive measure, the US Food and Drug Administration requested its retail networks to withdraw frozen shrimp products from Indonesian manufacturers to reduce the risk of radiation exposure. The agency also collaborated with the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Indonesian seafood supervisory authorities to investigate the source of contamination.Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan said the government had conducted health checks on 1,562 residents and workers in the Cikande industrial area after the radiation contamination issue arose.The government found nine individuals contaminated with Cesium 137 among the thousands of residents and workers examined, who subsequently received treatment and special medication from Singapore. Alif Ilham Fajriadi contributed to the writing of this article.Editor’s Choice: After Frozen Shrimp, Radioactive Traces Also Found in Indonesia’s Exported ClovesClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
