Indonesia has launched a criminal investigation into a suspected radiological contamination source after traces of caesium-137 were found in exports of shrimp, spices and footwear bound for the United States and Europe.
The inquiry focuses on PT Peter Metal Technology, a metal-processing company in the Cikande Industrial Estate in Banten province, western Java. Indonesian officials say the factory, which produces steel rods from scrap metal, is foreign-owned and is believed to be linked to a chain of contamination affecting multiple manufacturers in the surrounding industrial zone.
The case first came to light when Dutch authorities reported elevated radiation levels in shipping containers arriving from Indonesia. Several boxes of sneakers were found to be contaminated, prompting a notification to Jakarta and further screening of consignments related to the Cikande industrial area. Subsequent checks identified contamination in products linked to leading global brands, according to trade and industry officials.
In August, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert advising consumers not to eat certain frozen shrimp imported from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, a seafood processor near the Cikande estate that trades as BMS Foods. The warning followed the detection of caesium-137 in shipping containers at several US ports. The company’s products, including some sold under Walmart’s Great Value brand, have since been subject to recalls and an import alert.
Indonesian authorities say around 20 to 22 factories linked to the Cikande estate have been affected, including facilities processing shrimp and manufacturing footwear. Nine workers at the estate have been found to have been exposed to caesium-137 and were treated at a government hospital in Jakarta. Officials say the affected plants have undergone decontamination and have been cleared to resume operations once radiation levels returned to background levels.
Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope produced by nuclear fission, with a half-life of about 30 years. It emits beta and gamma radiation and is used in medical radiotherapy and in industrial gauges and measuring equipment. While it is widespread in small quantities as a legacy of nuclear weapons testing and major nuclear accidents, concentrated sources used in industry represent a significant hazard if damaged, improperly stored or incorporated into scrap metal streams.
Investigators believe contaminated scrap metal may have been smelted at PT Peter Metal Technology and that radioactive residues were then dispersed through waste, dust or materials that came into contact with nearby factories. The Indonesian government sealed the plant in September and a special task force has since been established to oversee radiological surveys, decontamination work and enforcement measures. However, officials report that parts of the company’s management have returned to China, complicating interviews and document gathering for the criminal probe.
Regulators in the United States and Indonesia have stressed that, although long-term, repeated exposure to low doses of caesium-137 can increase health risks, including certain cancers, the levels detected in contaminated shipments have been well below intervention thresholds and do not pose an acute health threat. In one detained shrimp shipment, the FDA reported a level of about 68 becquerels per kilogram, significantly below its derived intervention level of 1,200 becquerels per kilogram for caesium-137 in food.
The incident has nonetheless had implications for Indonesia’s export-oriented industries. Footwear exports were worth about $7.1 billion in 2024, while shrimp exports totalled about $1.7 billion, according to trade data cited in Jakarta. Authorities say contaminated consignments have either been recalled, returned or sent to designated radioactive waste facilities, and that customers abroad have been informed through regulatory channels.
The Indonesian task force is also tightening controls on imports after detecting contaminated goods entering the country. Earlier this month, port officials at Tanjung Priok in Jakarta stopped eight containers of zinc powder from Angola after they tested positive for caesium-137. The containers are being held pending administrative procedures for re-export. The task force says this is the fourth such interception, following earlier cases involving zinc powder shipments from the Philippines handled by the same importer.
Officials say they are now screening both exports and imports more systematically for radioactive contamination and are working with international partners, including regulators in the US and Europe, to trace supply chains and source material. The criminal investigation into PT Peter Metal Technology is focusing on how a sealed caesium-137 source, or contaminated scrap, entered its production process, how long the material remained in the facility and whether reporting and safety obligations under Indonesian law were breached.
