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TRTC attacks gas report

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) yesterday criticized a doctor's report that the Halogenated Hydrocarbon (Halon) fire extinguishing system used at a MRT power plant on the Tamsui Line released poison gas, as residents claiming to suffer illness from a gas leak accident last year accused the TRTC of lying and shirking its responsibilities.

According to a research report conducted by Lo Shih-hsiang (羅士翔), a doctor at the Zhongxing Branch of the Taipei City Hospital, the gas released by the Halon system due to a human error at the Huajie Power Station contained poisonous phosgene gas.

In response to the report, the TRTC insisted that the gases in the fire extinguishing system were harmless.

"An examination of six fire extinguishers used at the power station last year found that the gas inside the bottle was Halon 1301, a non-toxic gas proven to be the safest extinguishing agent available," TRTC president Tsai Huei-sheng (蔡輝昇) said yesterday at a press conference called by TRTC and the city government's Department of Transportation and Health.

But the inspection also found Halon 1211 in new fire extinguishers, which could release phosgene gas if they leaked. Tsai blamed the problem on the factory that produced the fire extinguishers, and said the Department of Government Ethics would look into the case.

Taipei City Department of Health head Song Yan-ren (宋宴仁) questioned the validity of the report, and accused Lo of releasing it without consulting the hospital, which had been commissioned by the department to investigate the incident.

Lo told reporters that he had notified senior hospital officials of the results.

The gas leak had woken more than 100 residents in Huayin Street, near Taipei Railway Station, and choking smoke forced many to leave their houses. The TRTC claimed at the time that the gas was harmless, but 80 percent of the residents who allegedly inhaled the gas have since been diagnosed with low levels of hemachrome and other blood-related illnesses. About 30 percent of the residents reported faucitis.

Dissatisfied with the TRTC's denials, neighborhood representatives protested yesterday in front of the TRTC's headquarters, shouting, "Step down, Tsai Huei-sheng" and "Move the MRT power plant away!"

Also at the protest was Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Li Wen-ying (李文英), who condemned the TRTC for denying responsibility and called on the company to establish an environmental fund to give the victims what they were entitled to.

"The TRTC should take responsibility and admit its mistake in relation to the whole incident. We are asking the company to improve safety around MRT power plants and ensure that residents nearby live in a safe environment," she said.
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