Environmentalists and legislators yesterday urged the government to set up national criteria for dioxin in both fodder and food in order to effectively prevent public health from being jeopardized, as a newly-released government report indicated that several brands of fresh milk contain dioxins at levels exceeding the EU's limits.
According to Green Formosa Front chairman Wu Tung-jye (
At a press conference held yesterday at the Legislative Yuan, Wu, environmentalists, and legislators jointly released a digest of the report regarding potential threats to public health.
The digest indicates that dioxin levels of three popular brands are 3.28 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat, 2.45 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat and 2.08 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat respectively.
"We don't quite understand why health officials did not publish the names of these irresponsible brands. Instead, they stayed very low-keyed and said people would not absorb threatening levels of dioxins, because of Taiwanese diet habits," Wu said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Eugene Jao (
"Especially, we need to clarify sources of dioxin in milk in order to ensure the reputation of Taiwanese dairy industry," Jao said.
In addition, Jao said that Cabinet needs to set up a taskforce involving diverse agencies to establish national criteria for dioxin in not only food but also fodder.
Hsiao Tung-ming (
"Since such dioxin levels pose no immediate danger and the lack of national criteria, it's unnecessary to publicize names of milk producers," Hsiao said.
However, environmental groups strongly expressed their opposition against the DOH's intention to settle disputes.
Her-lin Hsieh (謝和霖) of the Taiwan Watch Institute (看守台灣協會) said the DOH's attitude falls behind global trends because newly implemented Stockholm Convention, a global treaty designed to protect the environment from POPs (persistent organic pollutants), indicates that information pertaining to human health and environmental safety should not be concealed from the public.
"It's very ironic that Taiwan had proposed entry into the World Health Organization but officials' attitudes were so conservative," Hsieh said.
Eric Liou (
Liou said that the DOH seemed to understate potential dangers resulting from long-term exposure to dioxin for babies, children and expectant mothers
"If such essential information remains unavailable to the public, what else can we taxpayers expect from the government?" Liou said.
Also See Story:
Toxic foods killing thousands, UN told
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or