The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is planning to list bisphenol A (BPA) as a potentially toxic substance in light of increased public concern that it poses a health risk to humans, especially infants, an EPA official said yesterday.
After it has been listed, manufacturers that use the chemical in their products will be required to file a declaration with the EPA, Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management Deputy Chief Wu Wen-chuan (吳文娟) said.
BPA has been on an EPA watch list since last year.
The chemical is commonly found in hard plastic products, including polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles. It is thought to be an endocrine disruptor and has been proven harmful to animals in laboratory experiments, raising concern that it could have negative health effects on humans.
With concern over BPA increasing worldwide in recent years, Canada announced in April its intention to ban the import and sale of PC bottles containing BPA, making it the first country in the world to ban the use of the chemical in bottles, Wu said.
While Japan has also placed BPA on its list of possible endocrine disruptors, the US requires manufacturers, importers and processors of products containing BPA to submit related information to the authorities, she said.
The EU, meanwhile, has set a limit of 30 parts per billion for BPA emissions, she added.
Wu said as the metabolic systems of infants and young children are not as developed as those of adults, BPA consumption was more likely to affect their reproductive systems.
There have not been any reports of incidents involving BPA in Taiwan.
As BPA has not been banned, Wu urged the public to avoid putting hot liquids into PC containers and to discard those that have cracked to reduce the risk of the chemical being released into food or beverages.
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 fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
RSS