SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp., the country’s flagship steel manufacturer, has warned the government of a potential threat to a Batangas industrial zone after it was ordered to entomb nearly two dozen containers allegedly containing radioactive material, which the company maintains it has no connection to.

SteelAsia said it was ordered by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the government agency overseeing radioactive substances, to take custody of 23 containers alleged to contain hazardous zinc dust.

The company added that it was asked by the PNRI to bury the containers in its 17-hectare lot situated at the Calaca Industrial Seaport in Calaca town, Batangas.

If there is a threat of radioactivity, SteelAsia said this act is “potentially endangering the community and other corporate locators in that industrial zone.”

It added that it has no technical capability, facilities, or training to handle radioactive waste.

“Only PNRI is legally mandated to perform this function under Philippine law,” the company said in a statement sent to the media.

Last month, 23 containers were rejected by Indonesia and ordered returned to the Philippines after authorities found zinc dust contaminated with radioactive cesium-137 (Cs-137).

Based on reports, the shipment was exported by Zannwann International Trading Corp., a Chinese trading firm based in Meycauayan, Bulacan. PNRI has since confirmed Cs-137 contamination outside the two warehouses of Xin Recycling, a sister company of Zannwann also based in the town.

According to the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, exposure to Cs-137 increases the risk for cancer due to its high-energy gamma radiation.

SteelAsia stressed that it has no connection to the radioactive materials despite being directly named by the PNRI as the alleged source, as it asserted that steel manufacturing neither uses nor produces such harmful substances.

“The company manufactures and exports reinforced steel bars, not zinc dust, which is merely a by-product of its production process,” it explained.

SteelAsia added that all scrap metals used for melting and production undergo radioactivity testing, with none ever yielding a positive result. It also said that its radiation monitoring equipment is regularly calibrated with PNRI supervision.

SteelAsia also noted that, based on information from PNRI, Zannwann also purchased zinc dust from other steel companies.

The company said it “is being unfairly singled out by PNRI despite the absence of any scientific or factual basis.”

“PNRI’s supposed findings were used as a basis by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to order SteelAsia to stop operating its Calaca scrap recycling plant,” the statement read.

“But even before the DILG order, SteelAsia, following meetings with PNRI, had already voluntarily suspended operations at the Calaca scrap recycling plant out of an abundance of caution, without conceding the presence of any radioactive materials in the facility,” it added.

SteelAsia said it is open to taking legal action against PNRI’s alleged “illegal, baseless, and unscientific actions will lead to irreparable harm to the entire Calaca industrial zone.”

Such actions, according to the company, may result in economic dislocation, the loss of thousands of jobs, and the stunting of the town’s progress.

SteelAsia said it is keen to engage international experts to help address the situation, particularly those from Japan, given their extensive experience in managing radiation.