The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) will continue to trace the source of toxic chemicals secretly dumped in Taoyuan County's Lungtan township, where groundwater pollution has led to serious illness among local residents, officials said yesterday.
Accompanied by legislators who have been following the problem, EPA Administrator Chang Juu-en (
High-ranking officials were greeted by the hapless villagers with banners reading "Clean up polluted sites! Find the murderers!" Some villagers knelt down, begging for assistance.
"Obviously, they have suffered from serious skin diseases," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chu Fong-chi (
Residents in the village rely on groundwater. In June, they filed a report with the Taoyuan County Government because of an unusual odor in the groundwater.
Later, environmental officials discovered that toxic waste had been dumped in several places on a village slope.
Investigators concluded that leakage from these locations had polluted the groundwater.
Since the middle of August, owners of the land in question and other suspects have been investigated by prosecutors.
Because of the unexpected suspension of the water supply to southern Taoyuan after Typhoon Aere early last month, villagers have increased their use of groundwater for drinking.
Several villagers fell ill, suffering from asthma, headaches and rashes.
But the EPA did not test for chemicals at Lingyun until early last month.
On Sept. 17, the EPA notified residents of the test results: the pollution was caused by hazardous chemicals, including phenol and methylbenzene.
It suggested that the groundwater not be used.
Since Sept. 18, polluted areas have been covered by waterproof plastic. Officials said that this was to stop rainwater from mixing with the waste and to stop vapor from being produced and polluting the air.
The pollution won't be completely removed until the end of next month.
Yesterday, Chang stressed that the polluted site had been monitored and controlled appropriately, even though people could still smell an odor there.
"Our analysis suggests that the pollution caused by the organic chemicals might have affected one or two wells here. There are not too many people falling ill because of this pollution," Chang said.
But residents argued that the situation might not be as simple as Chang suggested.
Many of the villagers have reported breathing difficulties and lethargy. Some villagers have been hospitalized.
Bottled water is being supplied by the county government to villagers, and pipes transferring tap water will be built in the near future.
Village head Li Chin-lan (
Independent Legislator Chiu Chuang-liang (
Chang promised to identify who dumped the waste as soon as possible.
He added that the local environmental bureau would demand compensation and a service fee for the clean-up from the landowners and others involved.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese