Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Indonesia’s export troubles over radioactive contamination have deepened as footwear products shipped to the United States were found tainted with Cesium-137 (Cs-137), officials confirmed Wednesday (12/11/2025.

“There has been contamination of Cs-137 detected in footwear products,” said Bara Hasibuan, the Head of Diplomacy and Communication at the Cs-137 Task Force, during a media briefing, as reported by antaranews.com. 

He added that the contaminated shoes came from an industrial facility located within a five-kilometer radius of the original Cs-137 source in Cikande, Banten.

The U.S. returned two containers of the footwear after detection, marking the latest in a series of export setbacks following similar cases involving shrimp and cloves. Indonesia’s Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) have since conducted tests, declaring 22 factories in the affected zone fully decontaminated.

Officials said the contamination likely occurred in the same period as previous cases and assured that all facilities are now “clean and clear.”

(mg/inp/pr/rs)