The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported the discovery of radioactive material Cesium-137 in cloves exported from Indonesia. 

The product, identified as originating from PT NJS in Surabaya, East Java, marks the second case of radioactive contamination linked to Indonesian exports, following a similar finding in frozen shrimp in August.

Indonesia’s Task Force for Cesium-137 Response confirmed it had received the FDA’s report. Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, the task force’s daily chair and Minister of Environment, said a team has already been deployed and will visit the site on Saturday, October 4, 2025 to coordinate further action with relevant ministries.

Hanif cited that experts have been consulted to address the issue but that detailed reports on health impacts are still pending. He acknowledged that several individuals exposed to Cesium-137 have been treated by the Ministry of Health.

Beyond health concerns, Hanif warned that the contamination poses risks to Indonesia’s trade sector. “So we are taking very careful measures,” he said.

The task force is also conducting an inventory of contamination sites in the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate, Serang, Banten. Ten contaminated locations have been identified so far, but only two have undergone decontamination. The government estimates that the entire process will take several more months to complete.

This latest case follows the FDA’s earlier discovery of Cesium-137 in Indonesian frozen shrimp, which was traced back to airborne contamination from stainless steel smelting activities in the same industrial zone. As of Tuesday, the Indonesian government has classified the Cesium-137 contamination in Cikande as a “special incident,” underscoring the severity of the situation.