After Jakartans spent about a week freaking out about the possibility of plastic rice infiltrating our supplies of the staple carb, police reported that extensive laboratory testing of nasi samples from all over the capital had proven that there was no plastic rice being sold in our pasars.
However, police are now saying there is something else for us to worry about – the possibility of rice being chemically treated with toxic bleach.
“The investigations into plastic rice are done. But we found that some of the rice had been mixed with the chemical bleach. That’s what we are dealing with,” said National Police detective chief Comr. Gen Budi Waseso at Police Headquarters this morning as quoted by Kompas.
Budi did not give any more details about the lab results that led to the statement, but he did say that the rice came from South Jakarta at the the National Police’s central forensic laboratory was conducting further research on the samples.
“It will take at least four days before we know the results. We have to carefully examine the rice to know if it was actually mixed with the chemical or not,” said Budi.
The police chief said that he was hoping the lab results would be positive so that people could feel safe, but added that rice mixed with bleach would certainly be dangerous if consumed.
