Chinese Executive Identified as Suspect in Cesium‑137 Contamination Case
Indonesian authorities have formally named Lin Jingzhang, a director of PT Peter Metal Technology (PMT), as a suspect in an investigation into cesium‑137 contamination that led to the recall of some exports bound for the United States.
Official designation: The Certain Crimes Directorate of the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit designated Lin Jingzhang as a suspect, task force spokesperson Bara Hasibuan said. Lin has agreed to cooperate and is expected to return to Indonesia to be questioned.
Factory and operations: PMT, a stainless steel producer that melts scrap and waste steel, operated on the Cikande Industrial Estate in Banten province on Java for about 10 months. During that time the company reportedly received at least 3,000 tons of raw material from dozens of local suppliers, and exported all stainless‑steel output to China.
How contamination likely occurred: Investigators’ preliminary conclusion is that the cesium‑137 entered the scrap supply domestically via used industrial equipment or contaminated waste that had been bought legally or illegally and was not stored, monitored, or disposed of according to regulations. Scrap collectors who supplied material to smelters reportedly did not know it was radioactive.
"It was during the smelting process that airborne contamination occurred," said Sardo Sibarani, a police official on the task force. He added that measurements at the PMT furnace reached 700 microsieverts per hour (approximately 700 μSv/h), which helped point investigators to the factory as a likely source.
Source not yet traced: Inspectors at the factory site found only steel slag during searches, and investigators have not yet identified the original source of the cesium‑137‑containing waste.
How the probe began: The contamination investigation started earlier this year after Dutch authorities detected traces of radiation in shipping containers originating from Indonesia; contaminated boxes of shoes were reported. In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety alert advising consumers not to eat certain frozen shrimp imported from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, a company located near the Cikande estate, after containers it sent to the U.S. tested positive for cesium‑137.
Authorities say roughly 20 factories associated with the Cikande industrial area were affected, including seafood processors and footwear manufacturers. Nine workers were exposed to cesium‑137 and received treatment at a government hospital in Jakarta. Officials report that all contaminated facilities in the area have been decontaminated.
Ongoing investigation: Indonesian police continue to investigate supply chains and scrap sources to determine how radioactive material entered the scrap stream and to identify any additional parties involved. International trade and public‑health agencies are monitoring the case because shipments reached foreign markets.
