The Department of Health (DOH) announced yesterday it would use the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method to test for melamine in raw materials used for making creamer, milk powder and baby formula and conduct random checks on 20 percent of all finished versions of these products from high-risk countries.
The DOH deserves credit for employing this method to test for the toxic substance as experts say the LC-MS/MS method is capable of detecting melamine at levels as low as 1 part per billion (ppb) — a much more stringent level than 1 or 2.5 parts per million (ppm) that were previously considered.
Until the DOH publicized its decision yesterday, its handling of the melamine scare raised doubt as to whether it had the public’s interests at heart.
Shortly after toxic milk powder from China first sparked panic in Taiwan, contaminated non-dairy creamer was discovered, casting doubts on the safety of instant coffee powder, cookies, candy, soup powder and other products.
The government won some applause for its response when an emergency meeting headed by Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) first decided last Tuesday that all vegetable-based protein products must be pulled from store shelves until they could be tested for melamine. Even President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) lauded the decision as a “good expression of determination.”
However, less than 12 hours later, the government flip-flopped and said that only selected China-made products needed to be pulled. Furthermore, it eased the standard of acceptable melamine content, adopting the 2.5ppm standard used in Hong Kong.
After coming under fire for its 2.5ppm statement, the DOH changed its mind again, employing the stringent LC-MS/MS method to test for melamine — but only on raw materials for creamer, milk powder and baby formula.
After so many 180-degree turns, the public is understandably confused about what products are safe, and after waiting so long for the DOH to make up its mind, the policies it has implemented still leave gaping holes of risk.
First, the LC-MS/MS testing — while very stringent — will only be used on 20 percent of finished creamer, milk powder and baby formula products from high-risk countries. What about the 80 percent not tested?
Second, there was no word about testing other types of finished products. Chinese-made products have already been banned, but products in other countries using Chinese materials have not. That means cookies, candies, soup powder and other products that have been recalled in countries around the globe would remain on store shelves — untested — in Taiwan.
It’s possible that DOH officials are comforting themselves with the notion that these other products wouldn’t pose “that much” risk because they don’t contain “that much” of the contaminated raw material. This is a slippery slope and one which Taiwanese must refuse to sit on.
The only “acceptable” risk in this case is zero.
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