October 3, 2025 | 05:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The independent investigation team from Indonesia's National Nutritious Agency (BGN), led by Karimah Muhammad, has identified nitrite compounds as the primary cause of the recent mass poisoning linked to the free nutritious meal (MBG) program.
The team conducted interviews with victims, as well as with doctors from Cipongkor Community Health Center and Cililin Regional Public Hospital who treated the patients, and analyzed laboratory test results.
Tests on leftover school meal samples revealed nitrite levels of 3.91 mg/L in melons and 3.54 mg/L in vegetable salad, well above the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit of 1 mg/L and Canada’s 3 mg/L threshold.
“This means the nitrite levels in the samples were almost four times the EPA’s safe limit,” Karimah noted, highlighting the severity of contamination.
The pattern of symptoms among victims aligned with nitrite poisoning. About 36 percent reported nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain, while 29 percent experienced dizziness. Other symptoms included weakness and shortness of breath caused by impaired oxygen transport in the blood.
Only 3 percent of victims experienced diarrhea, which puzzled some doctors, as food poisoning typically presents with this symptom.
“Diarrhea is uncommon in nitrite poisoning cases,” Karimah explained.
Of the 1,315 affected students, only 7 percent required hospitalization. The majority were discharged after examination and observation, receiving mild medications such as paracetamol, ondansetron, or omeprazole.
“No victims experienced seizures. What appeared to be seizures were actually cramps caused by severe stomach pain,” she added.
Laboratory testing by the BGN team found no pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, or Bacillus cereus. Toxicology results were also negative for cyanide, arsenic, heavy metals, and pesticides.
Karimah suggested that the elevated nitrite levels may have resulted from bacteria converting nitrates in vegetables or fruits into nitrites. The distribution of nitrites is uneven, meaning some children were more severely affected than others.
“Each individual’s body condition influences their ability to detoxify nitrites,” she said.
The high number of reported victims was also influenced by a voice message encouraging all MBG meal recipients to visit community health centers for free check-ups.
“Media reports reflect not just severe cases, but all students who came for examinations,” Karimah clarified.
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