A radioactive contamination incident at an Indonesian industrial complex has left workers exposed to dangerous radiation and revealed serious gaps in the country’s environmental oversight. The crisis began when U.S. food safety officials detected radioactive material in frozen shrimp exported from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS Foods) in Banten province, prompting the facility’s immediate shutdown.
The contamination source was traced to PT Metal Technology, a metal smelting plant operating in the same industrial zone. Workers like Roni, who spent over a decade at the facility, and his wife Sakinah, employed at the affected food plant, are now facing the health consequences. Both tested positive for radiation exposure, with Roni requiring treatment with Radiogardase to remove Cesium-137—a hazardous radioactive isotope typically found in nuclear waste—from his body.
The incident has sparked a multi-agency investigation involving Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment, Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency, and police bomb squad. However, the contamination’s discovery by foreign regulators rather than domestic oversight raises serious questions about Indonesia’s industrial safety monitoring. The couple, like many affected workers, now face an uncertain future—jobless and concerned about long-term health impacts from their exposure.
This case highlights the interconnected risks in industrial zones where different types of manufacturing operate in close proximity, and underscores the critical need for stronger regulatory oversight to protect both workers and the global food supply chain from industrial contamination.