Indonesia has started relocating residents from an industrial area near Jakarta after high levels of radioactive cesium-137 were detected, a task force spokesman confirmed today.
Para Hasibuan, spokesperson for the special task force addressing the contamination, said decontamination has been completed at 20 of the 22 affected facilities within the industrial zone.
The contamination was first identified in August in a batch of shrimp exported by an Indonesian company to the United States, prompting Washington to impose new certification requirements for shrimp and spice imports from Indonesia.
Cesium-137, a man-made radioactive isotope, can be released through nuclear testing or accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, but it is also used in certain industrial applications, including oil wells.
Indonesia does not possess nuclear weapons or operate nuclear power plants.
