Substandard batteries from China and Southeast Asia are poisoning Taiwan with increasing levels of mercury and other hazardous mineral waste, ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator-at-Large Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋) claimed yesterday.
Under the banner: "Chinese and Asian Batteries Enough to Kill 200,000 Taiwan People A Year," Wang said during a press conference that while the mercury content of batteries originating in China and Southeast Asian countries are dangerously higher than allowed levels, none of the batteries, which are sold in Taiwan, have been banned or even regulated.
Wang quoted the results of research conducted by Yuan Ze University's Center of Environmental Sciences as showing that compared with the mercury content of US-made and Japanese-made batteries, which average 0.13ppm, batteries from Southeast Asian countries and China have mercury content averaging 34ppm and 127ppm, respectively, far exceeding Taiwan's allowed maximum level of 5ppm.
Wang claimed that about 74 percent of the batteries sold in Taiwan are from China or Southeast Asia. The amount equals roughly 600-700kg of mercury.
However, he went on, only 15 percent of Taiwan's used batteries have been retrieved and recycled, with the remaining 85 percent ending up in incinerators or landfills each year, polluting an immeasurable volume of water and air with mercury, lead, chromium and other depleting elements.
If 3 grams of mercury is enough to kill an adult, the 600-700 kilos of waste mercury is enough to kill 200,000 Taiwanese people each year, Wang warned.
Wang called for the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to conduct a nationwide census on batteries in Taiwan to find out their mercury content as well as their final destination.
He also demanded that the government increase fines for people who import, produce or distribute illegal batteries that have high mercury content.
Chang Hsu-chang (
China dumps about 20,000 tons of substandard batteries in Taiwan annually without attracting notice from the Taiwan authorities, according to a private environmental group.
The batteries, with an average mercury content that is 360 times greater than that of legally controlled batteries, are posing a threat to Taiwan's environment and people's lives, according to a spokesman for the group.
The Chinese batteries -- many of which are produced in underground factories and illegally smuggled into Taiwan -- are easily available on the shelves of NT$10-per-item stores, the spokesman said.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS