"There were four containers affected. There is no problem with the others," he remarked in a press conference on Monday.
Previously, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported the finding of Cesium-137 in frozen raw shrimp processed by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods).
The product was sold at several Walmart stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, and West Virginia.
Following this finding, the FDA has temporarily suspended imports of PT Bahari Makmur Sejati products until the company is deemed capable of addressing the contamination issue.
In response, Santoso said that his office would follow up on this case and strengthen preventative measures.
"We will be focusing on mitigating such cases from recurring," he noted.
He also stated that the Coordinating Ministry for Food is currently holding a coordination meeting with relevant ministries to discuss this issue.
Earlier, the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) announced the discovery of radioactive scrap metal containing Cesium-137 at a scrap metal collection site in the Cikande Modern Industrial Area, Serang District, Banten.
The agency, along with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Environment, and the National Police, is collaborating to ensure the safety of nuclear use in Indonesia for the public and the environment.
Meanwhile, Bapeten's Director of Inspection of Radiation Facilities and Radioactive Substances, Zulkarnain, stated that Cesium-137 is a synthetic radioactive substance commonly used for industrial purposes, such as density and flow measurement instruments.
"Cesium-137 is classified as ionizing radiation, capable of having biological effects on human health. This is considered dangerous in the long term," he explained.
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Translator: Bayu Saputra, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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