SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. has denied any connection to 23 containers of allegedly hazardous zinc dust ordered to be turned over to it by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI).
“This is not our shipment,” the company said in a statement, stressing that the containers did not originate from SteelAsia.
The shipment was rejected by Indonesia in late September and ordered returned to exporter Zannwann International Trading Corp., which sources zinc dust from various steel producers. SteelAsia said PNRI wrongly tagged it as the source of the alleged radioactive materials without following international safety protocols or conducting the required scientific tests, while clearing Zannwann of responsibility.
PNRI ordered SteelAsia to entomb the containers at its Calaca, Batangas plant — a move the company said could endanger the community and other industrial locators if the materials are indeed radioactive.
SteelAsia said it lacks the technical capability, facilities, and training to handle radioactive waste, adding that only PNRI is legally authorized to do so. The company also emphasized that steel manufacturing does not use or produce radioactive materials and that its operations involve only reinforced steel bars, not zinc dust.
All scrap metals used in production are tested for radioactivity, SteelAsia said, with no positive results to date. The firm’s monitoring equipment is regularly calibrated under PNRI supervision.
According to SteelAsia, PNRI’s own data show Zannwann also sources zinc dust from other steel companies, including Cathay Pacific Steel and Real Steel, yet only SteelAsia was singled out “without any scientific or factual basis.”
The PNRI findings reportedly led the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to order the suspension of SteelAsia’s Calaca scrap recycling plant — its flagship and one of the most modern in the world. SteelAsia said it had already voluntarily suspended operations earlier, after discussions with PNRI, as a precautionary measure.
The company said it is taking legal action to protect its interests, warning that PNRI’s “illegal, baseless, and unscientific” actions could harm the Calaca industrial zone, displace thousands of workers, and hinder the area’s economic growth.
SteelAsia added it is open to engaging international radiation experts, particularly from Japan and Western countries, to help address the issue.
