India delivers Prussian Blue capsules to Indonesia to mitigate radiation exposure

• The Indian government has delivered a consignment of Prussian Blue (Pru-Decorp) capsules to Indonesia to help mitigate the effects of Cesium-137 contamination after Jakarta detected traces of radioactivity in exported food products.

• The emergency aid follows a series of alarming discoveries in Indonesia. Authorities found traces of Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope, at a clove farm on Sumatra island, prompting a nationwide investigation.

• This comes after authorities detected traces of Cesium-137 in at least 22 facilities approximately 55 km west of Jakarta.

• The probe began after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected Cesium-137 in Indonesian spices and frozen shrimp, leading to product recalls and import restrictions.

• Investigators believe the Cs-137 entered the country via imported scrap metal containing the radioactive material.

Cesium-137

• Cesium-137 (Cs-137) is produced by nuclear fission for use in medical devices and gauges. It can cause burns, acute radiation sickness, and even death.

• Cesium (chemical symbol Cs) is a soft, flexible, silvery-white metal that becomes liquid near room temperature, but easily bonds with chlorides to create a crystalline powder. 

• The most common radioactive form of Cesium is Cs-137. 

• Small quantities of Cs-137 can be found in the environment from nuclear weapons and from nuclear reactor accidents.

What is Prussian Blue?

• Prussian Blue is a medication that can help remove radioactive cesium and thallium from inside a person’s body.

• Prussian Blue reduces the time that radioactive cesium and thallium stay in the body, limiting the amount of time the body is exposed to radiation.

• It reduces the biological half-life (the time it takes to naturally eliminate half the amount of a substance from the body) of cesium from about 110 days to about 30 days.

• Prussian Blue reduces the biological half-life of thallium from about eight days to about three days.

• Prussian Blue traps radioactive cesium and thallium in the intestines to keep them from being re-absorbed by the body.

• The radioactive materials then move through the intestines and are passed (excreted) in bowel movements.