Liberty Times (LT): How would you look at the current food scare triggered by the discovery of plasticizers in clouding agents?
Kenneth Wu (伍焜玉): Plasticizers, or phthalate esters [PAE], are used to make plastic more flexible, transparent, durable and is ubiquitous in our daily life. The world first noticed that PAEs might be unsafe in 1997, when a group of children in the US exhibited symptoms of hormonal imbalance.
It was the first incident of humans being affected by PAEs. After an investigation into the matter, it was found that manufacturers had added PAEs to toys — especially toys for children under the age of one. The report also found that PAEs would seep out under high temperature, and ingestion cause arrested development or other developmental disorders of the male genitalia.
Photo: Lee Hsin-hong, Taipei Times
The US and Europe have clear regulations that PAEs cannot be added to toys, but Taiwan does not. The US has recommendations on tolerable daily intake [TDI] amounts for PAE, which is 20 micrograms [μg]. Europe sets the standards at 50μg daily, and Japan at 40-50μg.
The PAE amount found in US toys was two to three times the regulated TDI amount, but the food scare that has engulfed Taiwan has more than 2,000 ppm [parts per million] worth of PAE in drinks. This easily amounts to 40 times the normal TDI rate for adults, and 80 times for a child weighing 20kg.
It is hard to believe the two businesses suspected of being involved in adding plasticizers in clouding agents were not aware that PAEs are harmful substances.
That being said, it is up to the government to safeguard food safety quality. [The government] should have expanded inspection control measures for food additives years ago, especially since most large food companies possess the technology to examine the components of clouding agents.
Although there are hundreds of types of PAEs, only six, including DEHP [di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate], can be mixed into clouding agents. This shows that the food industry has been negligent in its examination of their components.
LT: To what extent has this affected the health of Taiwanese? How can we remedy the situation?
Wu: The domestic management and control of toxic substances are too lax. Although PAEs are known to be harmful to the human body, the Environmental Protection Administration [EPA] only lists PAEs as a level-four toxic substance that require mere notification for export or import. There is no way to track its coming and going. The EPA has also stalled efforts to elevate the toxic substance level for PAE, saying it has not been confirmed to be carcinogenic.
Internationally, the definition of toxic chemicals is not only based on whether it can induce cancer, it is also about the greater fear of producing deformities in children, harming the reproduction and endocrine systems, or damaging internal organs.
Studies have long shown that PAEs are dangerous; National Health Research Institutes [NHRI] research has also shown that Taiwanese people’s exposure to PAEs is two to three times higher than international standards. For pregnant women, it is as high as 30 times over the standard.
However, the government’s standards on management and control of toxic and chemical substances are too lax. Aside from raising the management level of PAEs, the government should also list all the chemical and toxic substances that may be harmful to the human body as controlled substances.
The human food chain is too complex, and PAEs have long been around in the environment. Studies around the globe shows more or less the presence of PAEs in the human body. However, most plasticizers can be metabolized out of the body within 24 to 48 hours, and as long as the ingested amount is not too large, it would not be too serious.
The most important thing now is to calm the public.
The government needs to find high-risk groups that have been affected by PAEs. With the support of the Executive Yuan, the NHRI, National Chengchi University and the Bureau of Health Promotion are planning to launch a joint investigation [of the food scare] by conducting a wide-scale survey. The survey would target the younger generation — from students to people in their 30s — whose consumption of [PAE-contaminated] drinks is higher, as well as young children and pregnant people who have a higher susceptibility to such health risks.
Through the surveys, the Department of Health [DOH] and hospitals can study the public’s eating and drinking habits, gain an understanding of their consumption of sport-drinks, juices and other drinks that primarily use clouding agents, and relevant agencies and units can then pinpoint the high-risk groups and conduct further physical examinations or treatment.
International experience suggests that about 70 percent of people who might have ingested food laced with plasticizers do not have to worry about immediate health concerns as the amount they ingest is usually within the range considered safe for humans. The remaining 20 to 30 percent could take free physical checkups, which should be made available through government subsidies.
If the government supports this, the investigation could start in one to two weeks. The first two to six months should focus on finding high-risk groups that have ingested large amounts of contaminated foodstuffs and drinks. A health analysis could be done through blood, urine, endocrine and hormone tests. People confirmed to be in the high-risk group should have follow-up health and kidney check-ups, or take a 10-year checkup for cancer epidemiology.
Such an investigation would also address international concerns, since at least 16 countries have been affected by the PAE scare, which has also severely tarnished Taiwan’s international reputation.
LT: Should we ban PAEs after this food scare? What other kinds of endocrine-disrupting substances are there?
Wu: Taiwan is the “kingdom of plastics” and no one dares say we should not use PVC [polyvinylchloride] or other products made of plastic. The key is to reduce the possibility of ingesting it.
With PAEs being directly added to foodstuffs, the most important thing is to avoid intake of food that might contain it, which should also be a top priority for the DOH and prosecutors. What makes PAEs dangerous is long-term or periodic consumption of large quantities of the chemicals.
Taiwan’s biggest problem is that the government usually uses US standards without understanding Taiwan’s own living environment and the potential amount of exposure of the human body to PAEs. With the exposure to environmental PAEs in Taiwan possibly being the highest in the world, there should be a recommended amount that is suitable for Taiwan.
There are too many endocrine-disrupting substances to mention, but Taiwan is focusing its efforts now on foodstuffs. Plastic wraps, plastic containers are subject to PAE seepage. There have been polychlorinated biphenyl poisoning from edible oil in the past, fears over feeding bottles made of bisphenol A, and that water in the air might cause dioxin poisoning. Danger is everywhere.
The current food safety incidents show that Taiwan’s foodstuffs have too many unnecessary additives. While the components for juice and drinks in the US generally don’t exceed 10 additives, in Taiwan it’s likely to have 10 or more, and all of them unlabeled.
The government should pass laws that say you don’t need to add additives unless they are absolutely necessary, and once you add them in, you should label them clearly.
Take clouding agents for example. It is a legal additive, but components that make up the clouding agent should be specifically labeled. This shouldn’t be too much trouble, as there are only three to five components.
This can be an opportunity for the public to demand that foodstuffs not have too many additives, allowing them to choose healthier food. And if [people] happen to ingest [PAE], they would know how much they had ingested.
In terms of plastic products, there are currently no labels instructing consumers about their proper use. For example, just how high a temperature can a plastic product stand? The description “tolerant to high temperatures” is not enough. The Department of Health and the EPA aren’t going to mandate clearer labeling until next year or even the year after. They should pick up their pace.
There are too many small stores and roadside vendors in Taiwan, and it is best to start with the larger companies and factories. It is, in a sense, reliant on the honesty of the businesses to properly label their products so health authorities can inspect their products and [let them] earn the right to certification as a GM, or Good Manufacturing, firm.
The government should implement management at all levels through interdepartmental efforts. Only by raising the management control of toxic substances from the source and proper labeling for mid to end-stream food businesses can information be more transparent, thus guaranteeing the public’s health.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
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