[MANILA] The Philippines will investigate the source of a shipment containing zinc powder contaminated with a radioactive material that affected nine people in Indonesia, according to a top government official.
“At this time, this is probably an isolated case of contamination with no widespread danger to the public at large,” Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr said in a text message on Friday (Oct 17). He said that the containers that will be returned to Manila later this month were unopened and there was no radiation detected outside of them.
“There is no risk to crew,” he added. “Upon arrival these will be examined and returned to secured warehouse.”
The shipment was sent to Indonesia by a Chinese trading firm with offices in the Philippines, according to a source familiar with the situation, but asked not to be identified discussing information that’s private.
Indonesia last week halted imports of scrap metal after the US Food and Drug Administration in August detected trace amounts of cesium-137 in frozen shrimp, and later in cloves, shipped from the South-east Asian nation. An Indonesian investigation last month uncovered cesium-137 at a metal-processing hub that supplies materials for construction and manufacturing in a western Java industrial park. The frozen shrimp company is located near the industrial site.
Cesium-137 is an artificial radionuclide used in medical devices and gauges, and is also one of the by-products of nuclear fission processes in reactors and weapons testing. Exposure to the isotope can raise the risk of cancer, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cesium-137 can become airborne in certain circumstances.
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Indonesia said that the nine people who were contaminated with the isotope have all recovered.
The Philippine government is investigating steel processing facilities that allegedly supplied the zinc dust to the Chinese exporter, the source said. The exporter, Zannwann International Trading, with offices in Meycauayan City in Bulacan province, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippines is coordinating with the International Atomic Energy Agency about the matter, the source said.
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Solidum said an inter-agency group, that includes the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, is handling the issue. BLOOMBERG
