Of this land, up to 120 hectares was contaminated with chromium. So why did chromium-tainted farmland in Houbi Township become known only after civic groups exposed the issue? The EPA has had access to monitoring and testing information on farmland nationwide for years.
Because industrial wastewater and other forms of industrial waste like slag are the main paths through which farmland is contaminated with heavy metals like chromium, local governments must be more active in patrolling and monitoring farmland and stopping potential contamination.
Furthermore, because heavy metals like chromium can concentrate in rice and root vegetables, in order to ensure that crops do not contain levels of heavy metals that exceed food safety limits, agricultural and environmental protection authorities should destroy crops with excessive levels of heavy metals as soon as possible and carry out pollution treatment. Authorities should also strengthen their testing of crops for sale and destroy all crops that do not meet standards. This is the only way to stop contaminated crops from entering the market and ensure the safety of agricultural products and public health.
Liou Pei-pai is a former director of the Taiwan Animal Health Research Institute.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
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