C. Java noodle makers use toxic bleaching substances
C. Java noodle makers use toxic bleaching substances
By Prabandari
KLATEN, Central Java (JP): Manjung village, about 30
kilometers east of Yogyakarta, has long been famous as a producer
of high quality white noodles, locally called soun.
The business has always been a lucrative, providing employment
to many locals. But environmentalists warn that the toxic
byproducts from the business is polluting the environment.
Joko Prasetyo, an environmental expert, says that the use of
bleaching agents in the production process pose dangers for the
long run. Untreated waste from the bleaching process can result
in byproducts such as chlorine and dioxin.
He proposes that research be conducted to learn the level of
these byproducts and the menace they cause.
According to Bambang Prayitno, a biologist, the maximum
allowable level of chlorine in sewage water is 3 mg/liter.
Chlorine pollutants are more dangerous if mixed with other toxic
products such as pesticide residue, he says.
J.K. Fawell and S. Hunt in their book Environmental Toxicology
Organic Pollutants say that chlorine can cause cancer.
Agus, the owner of Bintang Tiga, a white noodle factory, said
that his factory can produce 400 kg of noodles a day. He uses
calcium hypochlorite as the bleaching agent. He mixes about 500
grams of the agent with 100 kg of flour.
"Before the economic crisis (began in 1997), calcium
hypochlorite was cheap, so I mixed 1 kg of it for every 100 kg of
flour. But when the rupiah continued depreciating against the
dollar, prices soared and I reduced the proportions," Agus said.
In Manjung there are more than 50 white noodle producers like
Agus. The average production of a factory is 400 kg to 600 kg a
day. If one factory needs 2 kg to 3 kg of Calcium hypochlorite
per day, then they use 100 kg to 150 kg of the toxic substance a
day.
Although almost all the white noodle producers in Manjung use
calcium hypochlorite, there is no waste water treatment plant
there. They dump the waste into the sewer which runs into the
river. During the rainy season, the sewage system often
overflows, inundating the Manjung village.
Only a few noodle makers in the village use mechanical
equipment. In the traditional factory, workers stir the mixture
of flour, water and calcium hypochlorite with their feet. They do
not realize their health is at risk. They look happy at work,
singing along to music blaring from the radio.
There are two grades of white noodles made in Manjung Village.
The first grade is whiter and more expensive. The lower grade
noodle has lower chlorine content.
"People in big cities like to buy the first grade because it
looks better and is tastier than the second grade. We usually
sell the first grade to East Java, because they consume huge
amounts of white noodles to make soto soup," Agus said.
Local people prefer the less expensive grade of white noodle.
Sale of white noodles in major holiday seasons, such as Lebaran
and Nyadran, usually raises threefold. Nyadran is a Javanese
traditional thanksgiving day celebrated after the paddy harvest
season.
On Nyadran, a great number of migrants from across Indonesia
return to their home village in Klaten. They will pay homage to
their ancestors by visiting and cleaning the tombs. On this day,
traditional foods are served and white noodles as a main dish.
It's cooked with vegetables such as carrots and greenpeas.
Locals use the lower grade white noodle mainly because it's
cheaper than the first grade.