In view of the recent frenzy over bamboo charcoal products (BCP), the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) cautioned the public yesterday that the products may not offer as many health benefits as they claim.
The CPC issued the warning after it commissioned the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to examine BCPs on the market.
"The overwhelming selection of BCPs as well as the huge price discrepancies prompted the necessity for such an investigation," CPC director-general Wu Cheng-hsue (
PHOTO: LU CHUN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
BCPs are products -- from socks to bagels -- made with bamboo that has been burned at 200oC to 800oC until it becomes charcoal. Benefits are said to include improved blood circulation, air freshening and deodorizing as well as improved mood.
The CPC targeted three types of BCPs: garments, food and cosmetics, Wu said, adding that ITRI found no correlations between the prices of the products and the degree of effect.
The BCP samples included products from Lacoya (台灣百合), ABA Nano-Tech Company (達裕奈米科技), Queen Toys and Bedding Products (坤宇企業), Feilo Mina (菲洛米娜), Footloose Co (足好), Noetic Consultants Canada Inc (九地竹炭), Dr. Green (寰安科技), Bright Product Direct Co (睿杰國際行銷), Nice Group (耐斯企業), Semeur De Pain (聖娜多堡) and Uni-President (統一企業).
Garment manufacturers claim that BCPs emit far-infrared rays, which increase metabolism and release negative ions, which absorb pollutants in the air and act as mood stabilizers, Wu said.
CPC Consumer Ombudsman Hu Hua-tai (
However, he warned, "There is no clear research to support that bamboo charcoal provides health benefits; consumers should know that bamboo charcoal is different from activated charcoal used medically."
He said that claiming a product emits infrared rays at a 75 percent level is pointless since most garments emit at that level.
The atmosphere also naturally releases negative ions at 130psc/cc-270psc/cc.
The highest negative ion release came from Bright Product Direct Co, with the cheapest garment sample at NT$799, which released 5,100psc/cc-6,900psc/cc, he said. The most expensive Feilo Mina model, priced at NT$5,980, emitted 3,600psc/cc-4,100psc/cc, while the second most expensive Lacoya was NT$5,820 and emitted 1,520psc/cc-740psc/cc. Far-infrared emission levels had little to do with price, he said.
In regards to food and cosmetics, "We found BCPs to be benign to human health, however, whether they offer the health benefits they claim is unclear. Manufacturers who make claims about the benefits of the bamboo charcoal may be in violation of labeling laws," Hu said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS